Gohan's Legacy: Legacy Through Actions
by Power9987
Summary: Sequel to Legacy Through Courage. Now that Gohan has finally made peace with himself, a whole new chapter of his life starts. Tragedy strikes and Gohan is forced to grow up faster than he thought. What will become of his Legacy as he moves through high school and beyond? Part 2 of 3 in the Gohan's Legacy series.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey hey! I'm finally back with the second installment of the Gohan's Legacy series! If you haven't ready "Gohan's Legacy: Legacy Through Courage" yet, I highly recommend that you read that first since some of the stuff in this story won't make sense otherwise. **

**A TON of events have been going on in my life recently which have lead to this not getting out until now. One of the biggest ones is the fact that I am in Pharmacy School and have had to focus the majority of my attention on that for the past 5 months. It was an extremely challenging semester, but I got through it somehow...**

**The next event that took up my time for the past week after I got done with the semester is my brother's graduation from college as well as moving him into his new apartment. It's been bittersweet for me since he is moving on with his life and will no longer be home, but he will still be somewhat close, which I'm incredibly thankful for. **

**The biggest event however took place just this past Friday: my ani got married! I honestly couldn't be happier for him and wish both him and his wife the best for the rest of their lives. I also had the honor of being the best man at his wedding and I had my mind occupied on this for the past two weeks rather than writing.**

**But now everything is slowing down and I can finally focus on writing once more. This is just the prologue of the story, so it basically introduces the current situation. ****This is an idea that I believe has been done before, but not to the extent that I am going to take it. I really hope that you enjoy what I have planned for you! **

**Also, just a note: there is a ton of medical concepts in this chapter. If anything confuses anyone, please let me know via PM and I will try my best to explain what I'm saying or what something means.**

**I would like to give a shout out to both silverstardust17 and ani (who doesn't have an account on here) for beta reading my story. I also would like to give thanks to Pranktical Joker, who has helped me out in more ways than he probably knows throughout this entire process. **

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*actions*

**flashback**

* * *

Prologue

~South 987 District, Age 771~

"…the next thing he knew, the boy was no longer in pain and the mean boy was all the way across the room! It was incredible how the memory of someone could heal him!" the voice of a boy no older than fourteen rings through the room. The room is fairly small, the size of a normal bedroom which is exactly what it is. The room has a light, sky blue color on the walls with a mural of a long, green dragon coming out of seven glowing yellow orbs as if the dragon were a genie of some sort. The furniture in the room is nothing special: just a dresser against one of the walls with a small bed that is made for small children. An end table is right next to said bed with a small, white table lamp which is currently lighting the room in a soft, cream glow. Currently, the storyteller is sitting in a rocking chair in front of the window with a view of the ocean, gently rocking back and forth holding a small child that's cuddled close to him in his lap.

"Wow!" an excited squeal from a little boy is next to fill the room with sound, his bright onyx eyes shining in the soft light. The just turned teenager boy smiles down at the little boy in response to his reaction. "What happened next daddy?"

"Ah ah ah!" the older of the two softly scolds, wagging his index finger side to side. "That's a story for another time. Now it's time for you to go to bed. After all, tomorrow is a special day so I want you to get plenty of sleep so you can enjoy it to the fullest."

The little boy's expression drops, disappointed that he isn't able to hear the rest of the story. "Okay daddy…" he responds dejectedly.

The little boy always loves to hear his daddy's stories! His stories are always so exciting and they always leave him wanting more. The best part of his stories though is that they all actually happened! He has heard many stories of how a group of fighters fought against all of the bad guys and how even a few of the bad guys ended up joining the good guys! His daddy even said that one day he would be able to meet these people! The thought of that excites the little boy greatly. He can't wait for that day to come!

Seeing the little boy's attitude change, the older boy starts to feel bad. He really should stop leaving his stories on such giant cliffhangers. However, it's already past the little boy's bedtime and he doesn't want to keep him up any later, especially when tomorrow's such a big day for the little guy.

"Hey cheer up!" The older boy encourages, wrapping his arms around said child and giving him a gentle hug. "That just makes the story that much more exciting for tomorrow. Now common, let's get you tucked in."

The little boy nods and wraps his tiny arms around the elder's neck. The teen gets up, one arm holding the boy close while the other supports his weight. He strolls over to the bed and lays the boy on the bed and draws the covers up to his chest. As soon as he's tucked in, the little boy lets out a huge yawn, signaling how tired he actually is.

"Goodnight daddy," he says softly as he lays his head back onto the nice, fluffy pillow. "I love you."

"Love you too Goten," the elder boy responds, leaning down and planting a loving kiss on the boy's forehead. "Sleep tight squirt." He gets up from his kneeling position and shuts off the table lamp before making his way to the door. Looking at the boy one last time, he smiles before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. The little boy closes his eyes as soon as the door closes and falls asleep within minutes, letting his mind flood with pleasant dreams of everything that he's going to do tomorrow.

The teenage boy sighs as soon as the door closes. This teenage boy is none other than Gohan. The demi-saiyan has grown a lot over the past three years: he has grown a good three inches as it seems that he has finally hit puberty; his hair is much longer, going all the way down to his mid back in a similar style that he had before when he was training for the androids.; his muscles are becoming much more defined and apparent. His biggest change though is his growth in maturity.

Gohan has been raising Goten on his own for the past two and a half years, and has done a remarkable job for a kid his age. He is able to care for Goten as if he is his own son and loves him with all of his heart. This is shown in Goten's personality and actions. The little boy is one of the happiest boys in the world and is rarely sad. He treats Gohan as his own father, calling him 'daddy' whenever he talks to him. He's very energetic and adores his daddy just as much as his daddy adores him.

Gohan puts a palm to his face and shakes his head before walking down the hallway to his own room. Normally he would go straight to the lab and continue to work on his latest gadget, but he's extra tired this evening and he wants to be fully energized for the big event tomorrow.

Goten's birthday.

Yes the little demi-saiyan will turn three tomorrow. Gohan has big plans for the chibi and he needs all of the energy he can get to keep him entertained. Once again, just like last year, it will only be the two of them celebrating. The now teenaged demi-saiyan glances down at the wristband around his right wrist as he thinks this. He didn't particularly want to leave, but he really had no other choice. Just looking at the members of the Z-gang brought back too many painful memories of when everything had been simpler; of when everything was right.

Almost three years ago is when everything started. Right after his father announced that he wasn't going to return from Other World with him and right after his children went back to the Mirai Timeline, his mother fell into depression. Gohan was left to care for a one month old Goten while his mother was locked away in her bedroom, crying over her lost husband. Gohan had gone to Bulma about the problem, but it was surprisingly Vegeta that had answered his questions.

He told him that saiyans have an incredibly strong bond with their mate, and if anything happened to them, they would be completely devastated from the sudden break in the bond. He also had told him that saiyans mate for life and that they will never have another. When Gohan had asked if it had the same effect on humans whose mate was a saiyan, the saiyan prince had responded that it is most likely, but that he's not completely sure. Nevertheless, Gohan had found out why his mother was in such a distraught state and had willingly agreed to the spar that the saiyan demanded for the information.

For a while, this made Gohan feel a little better about the situation since he knows that she's gone through this before and come out completely fine. He remembers that when it happened the first time that he wasn't even there since he was 'kidnapped' by Piccolo in order to train and beat the saiyans, so he had no clue how bad it could get. He figured that what she was going through at the time was as bad as it got back then, and that she will eventually come out of it.

However, Chichi's depression never lightened up at all. Even Vegeta had told him that this was not normal, even for saiyans, saying that while they would be devastated for a while, they would eventually move on and continue to live, confirming Gohan's suspicions, although they would never mate again. This concerned Gohan, and with Bulma's advice, he took his mother to a psychiatrist. Chichi had protested profusely, saying that she refused to go to a shrink, but finally conceded after Gohan reminded her what happened with her pregnancy.

She had gotten recently diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) right after Goten was born. Her OBGYN had heard her rant about how much she worried about her husband and son during the few hours after the birth, and after seeing physical symptoms of anxiety disorder, had quickly fetched a specialist to find out. It was confirmed after a few tests, and they gave her a prescription for Buspar, a common treatment for anxiety, in order to treat it. Initially she refused to take it, but at the insistence of both Bulma and Gohan, she finally conceded and soon found herself to be feeling much better. The week before the intergalactic tournament, she had been much calmer and had fewer worries. In other words, she was happier than she had been ever been in a very long time, going all the way back to before Raditz arrived.

Her visit with the psychiatrist proved to be useful as well. The psychiatrist was easily able to diagnose Chichi with Major Depression, which she was able to deduce came from the recent death of her husband. Of course Chichi had left out that this is the second time he died. And so, the mental doctor had prescribed her Anafranil, a tricyclic antidepressant, for the treatment. She also scheduled a follow-up in a month to see if her depression was improving.

It was much easier to get Chichi to take the Anafranil than it had the Buspar. However, the new drug didn't seem to be doing the trick at all. In fact, it only made the depression worse! Three weeks after her diagnosis, Gohan had noticed that his mother seemed even more lethargic than before. She barely left her room at all except for meals and to use the bathroom. It was a good thing that Gohan had asked his mother to teach him some simple dishes during the period after the Cell Games since his mother was in no condition to cook. Finally fed up, he took his mother back to the psychiatrist in order to find out what happened.

The psychiatrist had told Gohan and Chichi that antidepressants can sometimes make symptoms of depression worse, and that that was probably what was happening with Chichi. She quickly took Chichi off of the Anafranil and prescribed her a more frequently used antidepressant instead, Celexa. She explained that the way that Celexa works was different than the way Anafranil does, and that it might work better. The psychiatrist had also explained that she needed to taper off of the Anafranil for approximately a week before starting the Celexa in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

She then scheduled a follow up with the Son matron for a month later and also suggested that she start scheduling appointments with a psychologist since it usually helps with depressed patients to talk about what they're feeling. After a heated argument, Chichi finally agreed to the psychology sessions, although Gohan had a few rather large lumps on his head from his mother's infamous frying pan of Armageddon.

After about three weeks, Chichi had returned to her normal self. It was amazing the progress that she was making. The psychologist had said that she was seeing vast improvements after their very first session, and things finally seemed to be going back to normal. However, things seem to never turn out alright in the world of Gohan Son and fate had decided that it was time to once again bring the poor demi-saiyan crashing down.

* * *

**~Mount Paoz, 439 Mountain District, Age 768~**

**Gohan has just finished another one of his training sessions with Piccolo. After his mother started improving with her depression, she was able to take care of Goten more, which freed up more time for the young demi-saiyan, and through some miracle he was able to convince his mother to let him train with the Namekian. She had first profusely refused to allow it, but once he told her that he needed to keep up his training to defend the Earth in honor of his father, she couldn't refuse. She knew that she couldn't keep him from training and that it was in his blood. She was also secretly proud that he was keeping his father's memory alive. **

**Gohan had found that his lust for battle had increased ever since he merged with his saiyan side, so much so that he now needs a daily outlet in order to keep himself sane. He wonders if this is how both his father and Vegeta feel and is the reason why they both train so intensely.**

**He is currently flying back to his house at a leisurely pace, thinking to himself about how much his mother has improved recently. She finally is out and about again, and although she still breaks down occasionally, she seems a whole lot happier than she had been the last month. The demi-saiyan's favorite part though is that she finally is able to take care of Goten much better and is glad that she finally gets to spend time with her newest son. **

**Taking care of Goten hadn't been easy for the demi-saiyan. While he was good with his kids from the future, he was no expert when it came to infants. While Goten had never cried while in Gohan's care, he was constantly whining when he needed something. Whenever he needed to be fed, the young demi-saiyan would end up consuming ten bottles of milk, and after every bottle, he would need to be burped, which usually resulted in spit-up on Gohan's shirt. Gohan also swears that he needed to change his brother's diaper at least ten times a day. He really didn't like that part of it. **

**Still though, he loved every moment he spent with his brother. He truly adores the chibi and wouldn't trade him for the world. This is the reason he didn't mind taking care of him while his mother recovered from her depression. Still though, it was a ton of work and he's thankful that the burden isn't his alone anymore.**

**He however has noticed some differences in his mother. While she never complains about it outwardly, something about her has seemed a bit off over the past three weeks. True, his mother has been returning to her old self, but he couldn't help but notice that she appeared to be sweating a lot more than he remembers, as if she's just got done with a light workout, when in reality she hasn't done much other than clean. She also seemed to be more tired after doing chores around the house. **

**Gohan however gives his mom the benefit of the doubt on this. He figures it's probably due to the fact that she hasn't really done any work for the last couple of months. Being depressed probably got her out of shape and she just needs to exert more effort to keep up the pace that she set previously. After all, she is human and she does do a ton of cleaning, which the demi-saiyan admits can be quite tiring at the pace she does it at. **

**Besides, she seems so much happier now! She's finally over her depression! This thought makes Gohan smile once more. **

**His thoughts are suddenly interrupted when he feels a dramatic drop in his mother's ki. This shocks Gohan, and the demi-saiyan panics, knowing all too well what that indicates. He quickly puts two fingers to his forehead and Instant Transmissions to his brother's familiar ki since his mother's is too low to feel at the moment.**

**When he arrives in front of his brother, the little tyke is surprised by the arrival of his brother, but quickly stops crying. Gohan can tell that his brother was crying by the tear tracks on his cheeks and the unshed tears in his eyes. Over the last two months, Gohan has stopped questioning why his brother never cries in his presence and thinks nothing of it. His brother isn't his main concern anyways; his concern is his mother's dangerously low ki level.**

**He quickly picks up his brother, much to the chibi's delight, and quickly rushes down to the kitchen where his mother's ki is. Gohan looks at the scene in horror as he finds his mom collapsed on the floor with pots and pans scattered everywhere. Knowing that she needs quick medical attention, Gohan quickly adjusts his hold on his little brother and makes sure his mother is making contact with him before bringing two fingers to his forehead and Instant Transmissioning to Capsule Corps.**

* * *

~987 South District, Present Time~

Chichi had died of a stroke that day. The explanation that he got from the doctor was that the major artery that supplied blood to the brain had burst, not only cutting off the blood supply to her entire brain, but also because the blood was spilling into her head, it increased the pressure inside her head so much that her brain ended up being shoved against her skull. Either way, there was nothing the doctors could do to save her.

Gohan was devastated and immediately left after making sure his brother was taken care of. He went to the place where the Cell Games took place and then exploded with raw power, transforming right away into a super saiyan 2. This sudden explosion of ki quickly drained the demi-saiyan of all of his ki and he collapsed out of ki exhaustion. Luckily Piccolo was nearby and quickly recovered the demi-saiyan and brought him back to Capsule Corps. He saw what had happened to his mother from the lookout and he knew that that was the reason he was set off.

Gohan was so depleted of ki that it took him two days to come to. Once he did though he immediately remembered why he was out cold in the first place and he starts crying harder than he ever had. First his father refused to come back to life and now his mother died of a stroke. He however stopped quickly when Bulma entered the room, an extremely sad, yet relieved expression on her face carrying his little brother in her arms. Goten had immediately gestured towards his older brother, causing a small smile to creep its way onto both Bulma's and Gohan's faces as she quickly handed the four month old to Gohan.

As soon as Goten settled in Gohan's arms, Bulma had started apologizing empathetically to Gohan about the loss of his mother. She had without hesitation told Gohan that she would adopt both him and Goten as soon as she could. All Gohan could do is nod numbly, the death of his mother still on his mind.

He needed an explanation as to how she could have had a stroke. That part is what the demi-saiyan couldn't understand. His mother had been doing so much better lately! If she were to have a stroke, this week would have been the _least _likely time to have it. It would have been more understandable a few weeks ago when she was truly distraught, but she was happier than she had been in a while all week!

He quickly voiced his concerns to Bulma and she agreed. She had wondered the same thing ever since she found out about it as well. Bulma had approached the doctor that had treated Chichi when she arrived and asked him what could have possibly caused the stroke. She told Gohan what the doctor told her and it made his blood boil.

Apparently, Chichi came into the ER with a ridiculously elevated blood pressure. While a normal person's blood pressure is 120/80, Chichi had a pressure of 186/122, and the doctors had said that it probably was much higher before the artery burst! The doctor had explained to Bulma that what this says is that the pressure on her blood vessels when at rest was extremely high, significantly higher than a normal person's at rest and even higher than a normal person's when at its highest pressure! This put a lot of excess stress on her blood vessels, and it was the constant stress on the blood vessels that caused the artery in her brain to finally burst.

This confused the doctor however because the artery would have had to have had this high of a blood pressure for a prolonged period of time in order for it to burst, and Chichi's medical records didn't show any signs of chronic high blood pressure. He promptly asked Bulma what medications the Son matron was taking. Once Bulma told him however, a look of understanding crossed the doctor's face and he figured out exactly what happened right away. When he asked the Briefs matron when Chichi had started the medications, her answers confirmed his suspicions.

He explained that Chichi underwent a 'hypertensive crisis' (a period of induced high blood pressure) due to a condition called 'serotonin syndrome' caused by drug interaction between her two medications. He told her that the active ingredient in Buspar, buspirone, interacts strongly with the active ingredient in the Celexa, citlopram in a way that causes the blood pressure to rise, and that the effect is rapid. He explained that it is most likely that it was because these two drugs were taken at the same time that caused her elevated blood pressure, but it was because they were consistently taken together over a longer period of time that kept it elevated and eventually lead to the CVA, or stroke.

The doctor showed surprise that not only the psychiatrist didn't catch this when she prescribed the Celexa, but also that the pharmacist didn't catch it when filling both prescriptions. He told Bulma that this could be grounds for medical malpractice since this interaction is an obvious interaction for the two fields of medicine those two are in; the psychiatrist should have known about the interaction when prescribing the medication and the pharmacist should have caught it as well when going through Chichi's medication list before verifying the order.

At this point, Gohan was seething. His mother died because the psychiatrist didn't know what she was doing? His mother was dead because the pharmacist was too lazy to go through him mom's medication list? He really wanted to go out and show those two the meaning of true fear, but the sight of his brother brought him back to his senses. Goten, who had been sleeping when Bulma was explaining the reason behind his mother's death, had stirred in his arms and had reached his tiny arm towards Gohan's cheek, grinning at him cutely. This adorable little gesture was enough to quell Gohan's rage… for now.

Bulma, as soon as she saw Gohan calm down, quickly told him that she hired the best lawyers that money could buy and took the doctor's advice, suing both the psychiatrist and the pharmacist on the grounds of medical malpractice. This made Gohan happy. Those two will get justice served though the judicial system.

Over the next few months, the case played out. Bulma, as she promised, adopted both Gohan and Goten into the Briefs family, although she allowed them to keep their family name in honor of their fallen parents. This really pleased Gohan since he wanted the world to know who his parents were since they both were such amazing people when they were living.

Eventually, Bulma won the case. Apparently, the psychiatrist hadn't bothered to obtain an updated medication list from Chichi when she first visited and this resulted in her error. The pharmacist however had the full medication list but was extremely busy at the time and rushed Chichi's order, not bothering to look at the medication list and only verifying that the correct drug was dispensed. The result of the case was that both medical professionals lost their professional licenses and they each had to pay Gohan 200 million zeni in financial compensation for the death of his mother, not to mention that her death weighed deeply on their souls.

After everything went down, Gohan's life would never be the same. While Bulma had told Gohan over and over again that she would gladly help in raising Goten, the eldest demi-saiyan had refused, continuing to care for his baby brother on his own. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bulma with Goten, but he knew she already had a one year old Trunks to take care of. No matter how many times Bulma had told him otherwise, Gohan believed that both he and Goten were just an extra burden that she was forced into taking.

Another reason he refused help with Goten was because the little guy was the only one who made the demi-saiyan feel whole anymore. His mother's death had affected him much more than his dad's ever had. Sure, he loved his dad with all his heart, but like his dad had told him before, he wasn't always there in his life. He could always count on his mother to be there for him though, no matter how strict she was about his studying, or how much she discouraged fighting. His father he kind of accepted was going to die eventually from a battle, but not his mother. She was always a constant in his life. Now he's making sure that he's the same to Goten. He will revolve his whole life around the infant demi-saiyan, just as his mother revolved her life around raising him and Goten.

The final reason he refused help with caring for Goten is because he knew he would end up running away eventually. Right after his mother died, he suddenly noticed feelings of guilt he never felt before when around the Z-gang, especially those that were closest to his father. They were slight, but present nonetheless and he knew that without his mother there, they would only grow in time. After his father died, his mother became his confident: he could talk to her about anything, so her absence forced him to bottle everything up. No, Gohan was using this time for practice raising an infant on his own since he knew that he would eventually take off on his own with him.

Ever since his mother died though, he's been thinking about how he could have prevented what happened. He should have seen the signs of the induced high blood pressure in his mother. He should have questioned it more when the first medicine didn't work out. In the end, he feels like he should have been more aware of his mother's condition.

This led to other lines of thinking. Over the last months before he ran away, this led to thoughts of his helplessness to save others. The night that his mother died, Gohan had a nightmare about his father's demise at the hands of Bojack. At first he accepted the fact that his father left for the safety of the planet. Goku knew that Gohan would be well taken care of with his mother and his other friends, and that Gohan would be an excellent male role-model for Goten growing up.

Gohan just attributed the random nightmare to the stress at the time, but the nightmare kept on reoccurring. No matter how much he told himself that his father's death wasn't his fault, after seeing it over and over again, after seeing him cower from his fear, basically accepting death, he could only come to the conclusion that he left his father no choice but to do what he did.

That's why everyone made him feel guilty when he was around them. That's why he wanted to run away. Every one of the Z-fighters had a strong connection with Goku, and seeing them all makes him remember that he could have prevented his death. It makes him feel like he's the one that took a great friend away from them. He wanted to run away to save his sanity. He knew that if he stayed around the Z-fighters for any longer that he would completely revert back to his old self. His line of thinking was to stay away from them until he worked out these feelings.

So he planned his escape.

Over the last few weeks before his great escape, Gohan had been helping Bulma work on a ki inhibitor wristband that allows one to conceal their ki completely. Both of them thought it would be a good idea in order to use it to their advantage in case another enemy makes its way to the planet. The last part that they were working on though was to make it so the wristband conceals one's ki while still allowing them access to their ki. This had been the hardest part for both of the geniuses to figure out.

No one had thought that Gohan had an alternate motive for building the ki inhibitor wristband. No one knew about his plan to run away. They all thought that he was just stressed from recent events. They thought he was just trying to cope. No one knew how the demi-saiyan truly felt; how he couldn't even stand to look at them anymore.

One night after Bulma had retired for the evening, Gohan had finally found the secret to make it work. He however never told Bulma so she would be less suspicious to what he was doing. He used two of these ki inhibitors to conceal both his and his brother's kis and took off for parts unknown. Eventually, Gohan settled in a cave in the area where he was stranded when he was only five years old. He camped out there with Goten for the night and the following morning went into the nearest town to buy a capsule house as well as other supplies using the money he won through the medical malpractice case.

Once he was finished with this, he headed far away from where anyone would expect him to go and eventually ended up in a nice secluded place right by the ocean in the 987 South district. It turned out to be a nice area since the closest city to him where he would get his groceries and other necessities was Satan City, a city where none of the Z-fighters would ever go thanks to the city's allegiance to Hercule Satan. The area where the house was located was also perfect because it was isolated from all other human life. And so, this is where the two Son demi-saiyans have been for the last two and a half years.

Bulma, once she found out he and Goten were gone immediately had the rest of the Z-gang go look for them. They all thought he was just suppressing his ki and that eventually they would find both of them since both Gohan and Bulma still hadn't worked out the bugs to those ki inhibitors for him to be able to use them properly. They had no knowledge that Gohan had actually figured out the secret, so they figured that they would catch a spike in his ki eventually when he was desperate to use it. The search for Gohan and Goten had gone on for months, but there were no signs of either of them. Eventually, the gang had conceded defeat and stopped their search, figuring that once they're ready that they will come back.

This made Bulma furious. She had taken Gohan and Goten in as two of her sons! Heck, she was legally their mother and she was Gohan's godmother! She promised that she would take good care of them and the fact that they were missing was destroying her. When she had found out that the rest of the gang had given up searching for them, she exploded in a fierce tirade, demanding that they continue to search, but it all was in vain. They had been searching for almost a year straight, but have had no luck. They knew that if he wanted to stay hidden, that Gohan definitely had the capability to.

Bulma however refused to give up and continues searching even to this day. She knows for sure that they are still alive and she'll find those two even without everyone else's help. She just has to…

Gohan enters the master bedroom of the capsule house that he is currently living in. As hard as it's been, he doesn't regret leaving. He figures that they are all better off without the constant reminder of the one they all cherished most. As the demi-saiyan lays his head down, he prepares himself for another night filled with nightmares.

To Gohan, when he's not with Goten, it seems he reverts back to his old self, the time before his merger. Gohan's starting to find that he didn't tackle the main issue by running away. He thought that if he were to get away from the Z-gang that the issue wouldn't get any worse. He thought he could handle the current pain he was in and eventually work it out. However, he never took into consideration how much those feelings of regret and sadness would play with his thoughts.

It started out as just sadness and regret. He would feel that pang of sadness every time he saw Bulma or Krillin or any of the other Z-members. However it only got worse as the nightmares persisted. What started as reliving his father's death turned into reliving his father's decision to not return. As the regret and pain started to overtake Gohan's mind, his memory of the explanation his father gave him for staying dead became cloudier over the last two and a half years. Eventually, the demi-saiyan started to believe that his father stayed dead for the wrong reasons, such as simply training in Other World.

Then his mind would shift from the other times he's left, such as after he died the first time yet stayed to train with King Kai, and staying in outer space after Namek exploded. It's getting to the point now where it doesn't matter to Gohan if he needed to train to fight the saiyans, or that he was learning a technique on Planet Yardrat that would prove extremely useful in the coming years; he just wasn't at home with his family where he belonged. This is gradually shifting his thoughts about his father from sadness to anger to outright betrayal, which is leading him more towards resenting the man.

As he gets into his own bed and closes his eyes, a small smile creeps onto his face as he thinks about the next day. Goten is turning three tomorrow and there's no doubt in his mind that he will be incredibly excited about spending the day with him. This is one thing Gohan doesn't resent his father for leaving. He never resented the man for leaving him with Goten, just for leaving him.

Goten.

The little demi-saiyan has been the light in Gohan's life. If it weren't for him, the teenage demi-saiyan probably would have reverted completely back into his old self, filling him up with so much negative ki that he would likely go insane. It's absolutely amazing how one little boy that didn't even exist a few years ago could mean so much to him. There isn't a single thing in the world that Gohan wouldn't do for the little guy. It is with these thoughts that Gohan finally falls into the land of unconsciousness otherwise known as sleep.

* * *

_ The sun is shining brightly in the deep blue sky. Not a single cloud is out and about as Gohan watches his little boy run around outside. The demi-saiyan smiles at the sight of pure excitement and glee on his brother's face as he excitedly chases a butterfly around the garden. This is how life should be: simple, content, and not a care in the world._

_Goten continues to chase and laugh as he has his innocent fun. He has a net in his hands that is taller than he is, trying with all of his might to catch the butterfly. Surprisingly, the size of the net doesn't seem to be a handicap for the three year old. He already showing signs that he is going to be one of the strongest out there. The tiny demi-saiyan seems to be gaining ground on the flying creature and in a desperate effort, attempts an all-out dive at the butterfly, swinging his net down in front of him. Unfortunately, the butterfly is able to evade the net once again and flutters away in the distance. _

_However, this doesn't discourage the little guy at all. He just laughs it off and gets up in pursuit of the creature once more. He stops however when he sees his daddy looking at him out the window in the kitchen with a soft smile. He beams at Gohan, completely forgetting about his mission to catch the butterfly and waves enthusiastically at him. This causes the elder demi-saiyan to grin back in return._

_"Daddy! Come out and play with me!" The energetic three year old yells enthusiastically to the older boy. _

_Gohan looks down at the dishes he was doing. There are still dozens of plates to be washed since their last meal and he needs to get lunch started soon. However one look at his brother's pleading face makes him melt and he finds himself walking out the front door without a second thought. _

I really need to learn how to resist that look_ Gohan internally comments. He makes his way out the door only to be tackled by a very excited Goten._

_"YAY! Daddy's gonna play! Daddy's gonna play!" The chibi shouts, grinning his million dollar half toothed smile, making Gohan chuckle. "Let's play hide and seek daddy!"_

_Gohan pries Goten off of his chest and sets him on the ground before returning to his feet. He smiles at the little boy and ruffles his hair making him giggle. "Okay squirt. Do you want to start off hiding or seeking?"_

_"Hiding!" The little demi-saiyan instantly replies, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Close your eyes and count to ten!"_

_Gohan chuckles at the amount of energy the kid has and quickly complies as to not make the chibi wait. Said chibi giggles and runs off into the surrounding woods, none too softly trying to find his way to a good hiding spot that will take his daddy a while to find. _

_Once he hears Goten run off into the distance he quickly counts to ten. The funny thing is that Goten doesn't even know how to count to ten yet, so Gohan could really just count to a different number and say ten at the end to make it believable. However, Gohan counts to ten truthfully this time, wanting to give the chibi a realistic indication at how long a ten count really is. _

_It really won't be that hard for Gohan to find the little chibi, even if he can't sense his ki. The teen demi-saiyan already knows all of his brother's hiding spots so he could probably find him very quickly. However, to humor the boy, he usually walks around the forest for a good half-hour pretending to look for him. _

_And that's what Gohan does. Once he's finished counting, he starts walking through the forest, right past hiding spot number one behind the pile of giant boulders he collects to train with. He continues to wonder around the forest, making a loop past the rest of Goten's favorite hiding spots, making sure to make as much noise as possible so that Goten knows he's coming. Usually this makes it even easier for him to find the boy since the chibi usually has a hard time suppressing his giggles when he gets close. _

_After a while, Gohan feels enough time has passed that he can now actually look for Goten. He starts thoroughly checking the normal hiding spots Goten uses. He figured out that Goten usually has a pattern to where he hides and as such, Gohan has a good idea as to where the little tyke is hiding. _

_However, Goten is nowhere to be found. He continues to check around the forest and he still can't find the chibi. He figures that Goten found a new hiding spot. However he starts to get worried as he continues to search and still can't find him. He starts calling out Goten's name, hoping to get a response from the demi-saiyan. He knows that this would get a response since he told Goten that he would only do this if he couldn't find him. _

_Still nothing._

_Now Gohan is panicking. What if something happened to Goten? He's only three so it's not out of the question that an animal could have hurt him. Gohan doesn't know if he could go on if something happened to his precious Goten! He continues to frantically search the area, shouting out the boy's name so that he knows he's looking for him. _

_Suddenly, Gohan picks up a ki… a strange, yet familiar ki. It's been a long time since he's felt this ki but he knows he knows it. He also knows it's not a good ki either. Is this what captured Goten? The demi-saiyan immediately sprints in the direction of the ki and is shocked at what he finds._

_"Oh my, it's been so long Gohan…" a creepy, unisex voice eerily rings throughout the forest. "My, how you've grown from that pesky brat that I fought eight years ago."_

_Frieza._

How is this possible?!_ Gohan silently screams. _He's dead! Dad and Mirai made sure of that!_ "How are you here? You're dead!" Gohan shouts indignantly out loud._

_"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Frieza retorts, completely calm and at ease. He just radiates confidence and it unnerves Gohan. The tyrant has seen what the demi-saiyan is capable of when he fought Cell in Hell almost three years ago, so the fact that he's so confident really makes Gohan nervous. What's up his sleeve? _

_"You're no friend!" Gohan fiercely states. "What did you do with Goten?! I know you have him somewhere around here!"_

_"Oh you mean that little whining twerp?" Frieza mockingly responds. "That's none of your concern." _

_Gohan's furious! How dare he mess with Goten! "I have no idea how you got here, but I'm going to send you back to Hell!" Gohan then starts to power up only to find that he can only power up to half of his base ki. _What's going on?!_ He anxiously shouts in his head. _Why can't I access my ki?!

_Frieza smirks after seeing Gohan struggle to unleash his power. "Oh, what's the matter monkey boy? Can't gather you're ki? That may be because we planted ki drainers all around this planet so that no one can use more than half of their ki. How very unfortunate to you since you will never be able to beat me without being able to become a super saiyan! Hahahahaha! Frieza then smirks and dashes towards Gohan. _

_The demi-saiyan tries his best to block and dodge Frieza's attacks, but it's of no use. Not only can Gohan only access a certain portion of his ki, but Frieza has gotten a lot stronger since even the rebellion in Hell! He would have a tough time against the tyrant in his full power super saiyan form! _

_Frieza sends a roundhouse kick to Gohan's abdomen, sending the demi-saiyan flying across the forest. He flies through six trees and smashes into a seventh one. However, before Frieza is able to continue his onslaught a new person makes his presence known. _

_"You can't have all of the fun Frieza! Let me take it from here," the new presence commands. He then smirks at the sight of Gohan. "Look at you! You're pathetic! I can't believe I let you beat me… twice! Now I will get my revenge!"_

_"How the hell did _you_ get here Cell!" Gohan shouts once again. Where are they all coming from? Is there a gate from Hell around here? And where is Goten?! What did they do to him? Is he crying and screaming for him? The mere thought of his little boy scared and possibly hurt makes the demi-saiyan's insides churn._

_"Wow Frieza you're right. He has lost his manners," the green android states. "Let me show you what happens to those with no manners!" _

_Cell starts his own entourage of attacks on the poor demi-saiyan. Gohan knows how powerful the android is personally and he knows he stands no chance against him at this ki level. A bunch of painful punches and kicks later, Gohan finds himself as a bloody pulp on the ground, unable to move any of his appendages. He is gasping for air painfully and can barely keep his eyes open._

_Both Cell and Frieza cackle evilly at the sight. There lays the one who was responsible for both of their suffering. Now he is suffering for himself! Cell makes his way towards Gohan to finish him off when yet another new presence interrupts him. _

_"Wait!" the new presence commands the android. Cell stops in his tracks and glares at the one who dare tell him to stop. "Why don't we let him say goodbye to his little friend here before we send him to oblivion. It's only proper." He then lets off his own evil cackle. _

_"Oh yeah, I forgot about the little runt. Thanks for reminding me Bojack!" Cell replies, now with an evil smile gracing his face. _

_"DADDY!" cries a terrified Goten. "Daddy help me! I'm scared!"_

_"Goten!" Gohan shouts, also horrified. He forces himself to his feet and forces himself to look at Goten and he immediately wishes he hadn't. Goten is all beaten and bloody and looks like he went through a hard time. The thing that scares Gohan the most though is the terrified look on his face; it's a look of pure fear and terror and the sight breaks the demi-saiyan into tears. _

_"Daddy?" Frieza indignantly comments. "Aren't you too young to have a child? Oh my, Gohan really _has_ changed! I didn't think you had it in you! Hahaha!"_

_"DADDY!" Goten continues to shout and cry to Gohan to save him. Gohan tries desperately to get to Goten, but is held down by both Cell and Frieza. _

_"Now say goodbye to daddy little boy!" Bojack says in a tone that is supposed to be gentle, but comes out menacing as he draws his free fist up in in the air. He then points out his index finger and starts gathering ki in it, pressing it against Goten's temple._

_"NO! Goten!" Gohan triples his efforts to escape the grasp of Frieza and Cell but it's no use. He can only helplessly watch as the ki beam gets brighter and brighter. Bojack now has the ki and is about to unleash it upon Goten's temple. Gohan just looks on at the scene with wide, teary eyes and can see a single tear track its way down Goten's left cheek as Bojack unleashes the blast._

"GOTEN!"

* * *

Translations:

ani- my older brother

chibi- cute child, dwarf


	2. Birthdays

**A/N: Hey hey! I'm back!**

**I thank everyone who took the time to send me a review for the prologue as well as those who are currently following the story! You guys are one of the main reasons (after my own entertainment of course) that I write these stories in the first place. **

**As of right now, my pace for updating this story is going to be once a week on Sunday nights/Monday mornings. I am currently in a dry spell stuck on a particular spot in Chapter 10, but once it passes, I should be writing like crazy for the next couple of chapters afterwards. If everything goes according to plan, I should be able to do twice weekly updates by the end of June (Mondays and Fridays like I did for Legacy Through Courage).**

**Now I'm going to warn you all: this chapter is fluffy! It probably is the fluffiest chapter I've ever written, so prepare yourselves for a TON of Gohan/Goten fluff coming your way. In all honesty, this chapter is one of my favorites because of this, but it may be a bit excessive for some of you. If it is, TOO BAD! I'm not changing it! :P (though you may let me know through a review or PM).**

**With that said, I hope you enjoy the latest installment of Gohan's Legacy: Legacy Through Actions!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*actions*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 1: Birthdays

~987 South District, Age 771~

Gohan's eyes shoot open as he immediately sits up in his bed. His hands are in fists clenching pieces of bed sheet as he was clutching the sheet so hard that it ended up ripping off. The sheets and his night clothes (which are only his boxers) are drenched in sweat and his breathing is hyperactive and irregular as he tries to calm himself down. He looks at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table and it reads 1:56 A.M.

_It was just a dream._ Gohan tries to reassure himself. That was by far the scariest dream the demi-saiyan has ever had to go through. He's had dreams in the past about all of the Z-fighters dying at the hands of Nappa, Krillin dying at the hands of Frieza, his father sacrificing himself to save him, and even his mother's collapse in the kitchen, but that was the first time that he's ever had a dream about losing Goten. The little demi-saiyan is the light in his life. If something happened to him, then Gohan surely wouldn't be able to go on. Goten is everything.

Gohan gets up and changes the sheets on his bed, discarding the old ones into his hamper. He then changes into a new pair of boxers and climbs back into bed. He knows that it will be difficult to go back to sleep, but he needs to try so he has enough energy for Goten's birthday tomorrow.

As Gohan closes his eyes to try and fall back asleep, the memories of the nightmare start to resurface once more. He remembers everything so clearly it's sickening. He watches once again as Goten is killed right before his very eyes and he shoots his eyes open again. He suddenly gets the urge to check on Goten. Usually watching the little boy sleep and running his hand through his hair calms Gohan down a bit. He can't help but feel good in Goten's presence. His presence is just as comforting to Gohan as the teen's presence is to the chibi.

"Daddy?"

Gohan was just about to get out of his bed when he hears a soft, small voice call out his name. Gohan smiles as he calls back. "What is it Goten? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Goten enters the room and quickly makes his way to Gohan's bed. He plops himself on the bed and Gohan extends his arms out in a gesture that asks for a hug. The boy immediately obliges and crawls into the arms of the older demi-saiyan who wraps his arms around the chibi gently.

"Daddy I woke up and I felt that you were scared," Goten answers, his voice soft and sad at the same time. "That made me scared so I came here to see what was wrong. Are you still scared daddy?" Goten asks innocently, peering his wide, onyx eyes up at Gohan.

Gohan is baffled. How did Goten know he was terrified from his nightmare? How could he sense him? He's still wearing the ki inhibitor! While this isn't the first time that Goten has shown the ability to sense his brother even though he hasn't learnt the skill of sensing kis yet, this is still shocking nonetheless since it wouldn't be possible to sense his ki even if you were an expert at ki sensing with the inhibitors in place. The little demi-saiyan just continues to baffle the teen.

Gohan quickly pulls Goten back into another hug. "No, I'm not scared anymore Goten. I just had a bad dream. Nothing to worry about."

"Good, I'm glad," Goten answers, cuddling into his daddy's body. "I don't like it when you're scared." Goten continues to sit in his daddy's embrace, relishing the warmth of his body. Suddenly, the little chibi breaks away and looks up at Gohan. "Hey daddy?" He asks.

"Yes Goten?" Gohan replies, curious as to what Goten wants now.

"Can I stay with you tonight? You always stay with me when I have a bad dream and it really helps me so I want to help you too!" he reasons, grinning at the end of his statement.

Gohan melts at the look on Goten's face and at the chibi's suggestion. He really is the sweetest little boy in the whole universe. "Sure Goten, but only tonight. I don't want this to become a regular thing." He really could use the comfort of having his little boy with him. It would put his mind at ease. It's funny how it works both ways.

"Yay!" Goten cheers, climbing under the covers. He lays his tiny head on the pillow as Gohan lays back down and wraps his arms around the little boy in a protective embrace. "Goodnight daddy. I love you."

"I love you too Goten." Gohan replies, closing his eyes. His tail subconsciously wraps itself around Goten's waist in a protective gesture. The tiny demi-saiyan's presence drives away the memories of the nightmare and he falls asleep within minutes, dreaming only of how much fun the two of them are going to have the next day.

* * *

Gohan is woken up by Goten climbing on his chest. Apparently last night the teen rolled onto his back while sleeping and Goten felt the need to climb on top of him and curl up in a little ball. The tiniest demi-saiyan is still asleep, leaving the elder demi-saiyan in a little predicament. He doesn't want to wake up the chibi since he wants to surprise him by decorating the house with assorted party supplies such as balloons and streamers, but he's in a position now where if he moves he would have to move the tiny demi-saiyan on top of him. Now Goten is an extremely sound sleeper, making it hard for something to wake him up, but Gohan also knows that the absence of his presence is one of the few things that makes the boy wake up.

What to do.

Gohan contemplates the decision for a few more minutes, looking up at the peacefully sleeping Goten. He smiles and starts running his hand through the little guy's messy hair and rubbing his back with his tail, and Goten smiles in his sleep at the gesture. This makes the teen's decision that much harder. How could he wake the boy from such a content state of being? He really looks like he is having a pleasant dream full of happy thoughts. Probably about food if he is at all like his father, which considering his appearance, is an extremely strong possibility.

As Gohan thinks about it deeper, he can't help but notice the glaring similarities between his brother and father, and not only in looks. Goten is very outgoing and loves to explore and be outside. He has a ton of energy and is always running around and chasing everything in sight. He also inherited his father's extremely short attention span. He will be doing one thing and will suddenly be distracted by the smallest of things. Gohan grimaces a little at the thought of starting Goten's studies next year.

The few things though that make it extremely obvious that Goten is a Son through and through are his completely happy personality and his incredibly loving and caring nature. Goten makes it very obvious that he loves life and is always happy; very seldom is he sad. He always seems to be laughing and smiling that goofy Son grin every Son has. He also has proven that he always is willing to help in any way he can. Whenever he finds Gohan cooking or cleaning, he always wants to help out. Of course this usually ends up in more of a mess than there was before, but Gohan always lets him help anyways. He really needs to learn how to say no to the boy.

The thing that Gohan loves most about Goten though is the fact that he makes it completely obvious that he loves him. He personally can't get enough of his little boy's hugs and his declarations of love. He loves it when Goten calls him 'daddy' since that's what he considers himself to Goten. Sure, when the time comes when the little boy is older, he will explain that he really isn't the boy's biological father, and then he'll let him make the decision on what to call him. However, Gohan will cherish this time while it lasts since he knows very well what can happen.

There's one thing that has always puzzled Gohan about Goten though. These days, anything that reminds him of his father usually makes the teen sad and feel regret. However, when he looks at Goten, who is probably the biggest reminder of his father out there, he only feels happy and warm inside. For some reason, the fact that Goten looks so much like Goku never bothers him.

Perhaps it's because the teen knows that Goten is his own person and not his father, no matter how much he looks like him. Perhaps it's the idea that this little life depends on him instead of it being the other way around. This is one of the mysteries of the universe that Gohan doesn't know if he'll ever figure out.

Once again Gohan gazes at Goten's sleeping form. He chuckles as he notices that the little chibi has stuck his thumb in his mouth during his slumber. He really doesn't want to risk waking him up, but then he pictures his reaction to coming downstairs to all of those balloons and party streamers with his favorite breakfast on the table. That look of pure excitement and joy makes the decision for the teen. He will try and get up without waking up his little boy. It will be difficult, but he hopes that his sleeping nature overrides his need to be near his daddy for once.

Gohan slowly and gently shifts Goten into a cradling position in his arms. He then carefully slides his legs off of the bed, making sure to keep his back flat on the bed so Goten has a flat surface. Slowly, Gohan lifts onto his feet, making sure to cradle the little boy in his arms. Goten continues to suck his thumb as he continues to dream, and Gohan smiles that he didn't wake up or even stir yet.

Now is the hard part. Gohan leans over the bed and gently lays the boy flat on its surface and quickly, yet gently covers the boy with the covers. Gohan holds his breath as Goten pulls his thumb out of his mouth and frowns slightly in his sleep from the sudden lack of contact with Gohan. The teen suddenly gets an idea. He quickly lowers his hand to Goten's head and gently starts running his hand through his mangled hair. This elicits a small smile to reappear on the small child's face and the little boy sighs contently and turns over. Gohan internally lets out a breath. He knows that Goten will be fine now.

Gohan quickly, yet softly makes his way out of the room. He hurries down the stairs and heads to the kitchen. The teen then starts setting up the decorations. He has to do so quickly if he wants to be able to cook Goten's breakfast by the time he gets up, so he uses his saiyan speed to quickly inflate the balloons and put up the streamers. Soon the house is littered with dozens of balloons and hundreds of streamers hanging off of the ceiling. He also has a big cardboard sign that says "Happy Birthday Goten! You're Now 3 Years Old!" The chibi went ballistic last year over this particular element, not that he could read it or anything. In fact, Goten could only speak in two-three word sentences last year, but Gohan could tell he loved it by the way he squealed in his arms and by the way he ran right over to it once he put him down. Gohan smiles at the memory.

He then gets started on Goten's favorite breakfast: French toast with eggs and bacon along with a side of golden hash browns. Over the past year, Gohan has discovered that his little bundle of joy has started to eat more and more every day. It started off where he only had to make five dishes of each and that would be enough to satisfy him, but over the course of the year, Goten kept eating more and more. Now the little demi-saiyan won't be full until he's had at least eleven servings of each food.

"Daddy! Where are you?!" Gohan flinches at his little boy's frantic screams for him, almost dropping his gigantic platter of French toast in the process. Once over the initial shock, Gohan quickly sets down the platter and sighs, shaking his head with his palm to his face.

He should have seen this coming. The one reason Goten usually does wake up every time Gohan leaves him during a night where they sleep together is because if he doesn't, then the chibi panics looking around for him once he discovers he's not there. Because of this, Goten had developed the habit of waking up whenever he loses contact.

"I'm in the kitchen Goten," Gohan calls down the hall. As soon as he calls, he can hear the sound of stomping all over upstairs as Goten races his way down the hallway to the staircase. Within seconds, the chibi demi-saiyan comes bustling down the stairs and makes an appearance in the kitchen. Gohan looks into the eyes of his 'son' and sees the prominent worry in them. He starts to make his way over to the little boy in order to comfort him.

However, about halfway to Goten, Gohan sees that worry disappear as his eyes get big and glassy. This makes Gohan smile since instead of sadness in his eyes, he sees excitement. Goten has always been an expressive individual. He tends to freely show his emotions outwardly and Gohan recognizes the look. Goten's head starts looking in all different directions taking in the appearance of the house. His gaze then locks with Gohan's. They end up holding the gaze for a good ten seconds until the little boy grins like mad and lets off an excited squeal. Gohan prepares himself for what is bound to happen next.

As predicted, Goten charges Gohan and jumps in the air, basically diving at the teen. Said teen laughs as he accepts his brother's hug

"Thank you daddy!" Goten shouts. Gohan relishes the warm feeling that he gets from the little demi-saiyan as he excitedly continues. "It's looks so pretty and colorful! You're the best daddy in the world!"

"Glad you think so squirt," Gohan replies, chuckling a little while holding the boy close. He gives him a quick peck on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Goten."

"Thanks daddy," Goten responds, looking up at his daddy. Gohan can see the love and adoration in the little boy's eyes, and he's positive that the feeling is reflected back in his identical pair. Goten then buries his face in Gohan's chest and squeezes the teen tightly in another hug, which Gohan gently returns.

When Goten looks up again, he notices the cardboard sign that Gohan made, and his eyes widen again. Just like last year, he is excited by the sign despite the fact that he can't read it. He jumps out of Gohan's arms and runs towards it. Once there, he starts staring at it with a look of great concentration.

Gohan watches this all with amusement. It's obvious that Goten is trying to make out what the sign says.

Perhaps he wouldn't be such a bad student after all.

After a few moments, Goten turns back around and looks at Gohan. "Daddy," he asks, his head cutely tilted to the side with a curious look in his eyes. "What does the pretty sign say?"

Gohan chuckles a little, knowing he wouldn't be able to figure it out. _Perhaps next year,_ he silently muses. He kneels down to Goten's level and tells him. "It says: 'Happy Birthday Goten! You're 3 Years old!'"

"Oh," is his simple reply. He then tilts his head to the side again. "What does that mean?"

Gohan holds back a few more chuckles. "Well that's how old you are Goten."

"What does that mean?" the curious boy asks once again.

"It means that you've been alive for three whole years!" Gohan responds, putting emphasis on the end of the statement.

"Is that a long time daddy?"

Gohan grins. "Oh yeah Goten! Pretty soon you'll even be as old as me!"

Goten's eyes widen at that statement. "Really daddy?"

"Yep!" Gohan responds, struggling to hold back a few laughs. Goten's face lights up in excitement, causing the teen to grin in return. That look is so contagious!

"Wowee!" Goten exclaims, jumping up and down. He then proceeds to run around the house in excitement. This time Gohan lets his laughter fill the air as he watches his kid happily run around, trying to play with all of the decorations. He was playing with a red balloon when a large growl suddenly fills the air.

Goten stops running around and grabs his stomach. He then looks back at Gohan and rubs the back of his head while smiling sheepishly. "Hehe, daddy can we have breakfast now?"

Once again, Gohan chuckles. "Alright Goten. Everything's ready for you. I made your favorite!"

"Really daddy?" Goten questions, looking at Gohan with big eyes. At Gohan's nod and gesture towards the table, Goten looks and sees all of his favorite breakfast dishes on the table, waiting for him to devour them. "Oh wow! Thanks daddy!" The tiny demi-saiyan wastes no time in making his way over to the larger than normal kitchen table and sits in his usual seat. He then looks over at Gohan and huffs indignantly.

"Common daddy!" he commands, much to the amusement of Gohan. The teen knows that Goten is waiting for him to sit down so they can start eating.

"Alight squirt, I'm coming," the elder demi-saiyan replies, chuckling a tad. As soon as he sits down in his normal seat across from Goten, the little demi-saiyan starts grabbing at the food and piling it on his plate. He then starts practically inhaling his food off if his plate. Gohan starts piling food on his plate as well and once he decides he has enough, starts eating a more controlled pace.

A half-hour and many dirty plates later, the two demi-saiyans are finally done eating. Goten leans back in his chair and sighs contentedly, rubbing his tummy with one of his hands. "Thank you for the great breakfast daddy!" he announces, still leaning back in his chair.

Gohan smiles at the sight. "I'm glad you liked it squirt," the elder of the two replies. "Now how about I tell you what I have planned for you today." He waits for Goten's full attention and finally gets it after a few moments.

"Ooh, what are we gonna do today?" the little boy asks, the prior enthusiasm coming roaring back to him.

"Well first we're gonna go outside and play whatever game you want–"

"Really daddy?!" Goten suddenly cuts off Gohan. "You gonna play too?"

Gohan grins back at the newly turned three year old boy. "Yes Goten I'll play with you. Now let me finish the rest of the plan okay?" Goten's eyes widen slightly and he nods, muttering a quick apology for interrupting. "Good, now after we're done playing outside, I'm gonna take you out to a big lunch at one of the buffets in Satan City." Gohan tilts his head up and places his finger on his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Well one should be okay, but if they run out of food we'll go to another one." he states after a bit of thinking. He continues "After that, I think I'll take you to a very special place at the top of the world and I'll let you meet two people that are very close to me."

Gohan has thought over this decision very carefully over the last few months. While he wants to remain in hiding from the other members of the Z-gang, he doesn't want to hide from his old sensei and best friend Piccolo or Dende. Out of everyone, he's missed those two people the most, not to mention they are the only ones besides Goten from the old Z-gang who he might be able to be around without feeling regret. Unlike everyone else, Piccolo has never been that fond of Goku, so Gohan never gets the feeling that he robbed the Namekian warrior of one if his best friends.

Dende never really got to know Goku either, although he did hear about him through everyone else. Still, he never had time to properly get to know the man like he did Gohan. When they were on Namek, Dende was with the old Grand Elder when Goku arrived to fight the Ginyu Force, and by the time that Goku recovered from the injuries of that battle, Dende had already been killed by Frieza. In fact, the only contact he had with the man was when he was healing Gohan after the Cell Games.

And so, after debating the case back and forth internally, Gohan decided that he would keep in touch with his Namekian friends and let them in his life. He reasons that he can even convince them to help him stay hidden from everyone else until he's ready to come back. He also wants Goten to meet some of the main characters in his bedtime stories he told him about, and knows that the little chibi would love it. Plus his drive to fight is growing every day and it's getting harder and harder to keep the battle urge satisfied through independent training alone. It would be nice to have not only a sparring partner, but also someone who can push him in his super saiyan form, not to mention a great sensei with a vast array of wisdom and knowledge to learn from.

The deciding factor for this though has been his personal experiences over the last year and a half. The newly teenaged demi-saiyan has been having nightmares like crazy for the past year and a half and it's getting worse: last night was a testament to that. It seems to him like he's reverting from the mental stability that he worked so very hard to achieve. Obviously the death of his mother has a lot to do with that since she was his confident and Gohan is finally realizing this.

This is why he needs Piccolo's help. He knows that if anyone can help him with mental problems, it would be Piccolo. Gohan really doesn't want to hate his father, but it seems like he's getting closer to that every day. He needs someone that wouldn't judge him for what he's feeling about his father and would be able to help him out with his situation. Piccolo fits the bill perfectly.

Gohan takes a glance at Goten, his little brother and adoptive son, and he can see the pure excitement radiating in the boy's eyes. It looks as if he wants to speak up, but is holding himself back to wait for his daddy to finish telling him about the rest of his plans. The older of the two grins at the younger before finally continuing with his plan. "Right, after that visit, we'll head back here and then you can eat your cake and after that you can open your presents. So squirt, what do you think?"

Finally after being addressed as allowed to speak, the first thing Goten does is let out an excited squeal, making Gohan inwardly chuckle. "Wowee daddy!" Goten announces, the energy and excitement still present. "That sounds like the bestest most coolest plan ever!"

Gohan smiles at his little boy, reaching out and ruffling his hair. "I'm glad you like it squirt. Now, why don't you go clean up and head outside. I'll be out in a little bit after I clean up after breakfast."

"Okay!" Goten excitedly replies, running up to his room to get changed. Gohan looks on for a moment with a longing expression, watching his boy make his way up the stairs. He then shakes his head slightly before picking up random dishes and putting them in the sink to wash later. As he does this, a smile comes to his face as he thinks back about the reaction Goten had to everything he did and his reaction to his plans he made. It makes him feel amazing to be able to make the chibi so excited and happy. It's really all he lives for these days.

Soon, Goten comes downstairs and is bouncing around in the kitchen once more. "Daddy, do you want help cleaning up?" he asks, seemingly more energy than before if that's possible.

Gohan stops what he's doing and looks down at the little boy with a smile. He loves that he's willing to help out so much, but whenever he 'helps' he usually makes more of a mess, so he doesn't know if he actually wants it. "No that's alright kiddo, I've got this." Gohan finally responds. "This should only be a couple of minutes and besides, it's your birthday! I don't want to have to make you clean on your birthday. Why don't you go outside and get ready. I'll be out when I'm done."

Goten just merely shrugs. "Okay daddy. Come out really soon!" He then unexpectedly jumps into Gohan's arms, but the teen has good enough reflexes to catch him and wrap his arms around the little boy. Goten wraps his arms around the bigger demi-saiyan and squeezes tightly. The little boy's true motivation to help his daddy clean was just so he could spend some more time with him, but since he can't, this hug will have to do.

Gohan was taken a bit off guard by the surprise display of affection, although he shouldn't have been. Goten does this type of thing all of the time, another thing he loves about the amazing boy. It's the little things like this that the demi-saiyan truly cherishes. After a few moments, Goten lets go and runs out the door, running all the way to the edge of the forest and staring at some of the wildlife.

Not wanting to keep his little boy waiting, Gohan quickly cleans off the table of the mess that Goten made from his sloppy eating habits. On one hand, he wants to teach him some proper table manners so that this doesn't happen every time he eats, but on the other, the teen realizes that he just turned three years old! Being messy is a part of being a little kid, something Gohan never got to do, so he figures that he'll let him be messy for a few more years.

Just as he said he would, Gohan finished cleaning up in only a couple of minutes. He then quickly makes his way outside where his boy is waiting, ready to play whatever game the toddler wishes.

In his head, the teen demi-saiyan is actually curious as to what game the little guy wants to play. There are usually a select few that he chooses from, ranging from many variations of tag to butterfly hunting. Gohan always has to hold back a good deal of power, but Goten always loves it when he plays with him. Gohan admits to himself that he loves playing with the little tyke as well.

As Gohan ponders the thought more, his expression drops a little since he reasons that the reason Goten is always so ecstatic when he plays his games with him is because the teen is sadly the chibi's only playmate. In order to avoid suspicion by the Z-fighters, Gohan chose a very secluded place in the middle of nowhere to put down his capsule house. It is so secluded that nobody lives within 300 miles of the place, with Satan City being 500 miles away.

While this keeps the two of them hidden extremely well, the downside is that Gohan and Goten are essentially isolated by themselves with no people to interact with. This is one of the few things Gohan regrets leaving for. If he was still with the rest of the Z-gang, little Goten would have little Trunks to play with, and with that a friend his age, something Gohan never had.

Thinking on the matter deeper still, Gohan admits that he really misses the little lavender haired demi-saiyan as well. While not as close as he is with Goten (and let's be realistic who is?), he and the tiny Briefs were extremely close as well. Before Goten was born, Trunks basically was the little brother that Gohan never had, and the teen had gotten a lot of practice handling an infant demi-saiyan by playing with and caring for him. Heck! Gohan was his first word! The teen really wishes that he could have taken him too, but that would have been plain selfish, not to mention neither Bulma nor Vegeta would have liked that very much.

A frown makes its way to his face as he wonders how the little tyke is handling his absence. Is he asking about why he isn't there? Is he wondering why his 'big brother Gohan' isn't around to play with him anymore? It is then that his resolve to conquer these feelings of regret and loathing towards his father strengthens even further. He really needs to get back to everyone. He just can't do it at this time.

Gohan shakes off these rather depressing thoughts just in time to get tackled to the ground by an anxious Goten.

"Yay! Daddy's gonna play! Daddy's gonna play!" He cries excitedly.

Gohan chuckles at the boy's excitement as he picks himself up and sets Goten on the ground. He then ruffles the chibi's hair making him giggle. "Yep I am!" Gohan replies. "So, what game do you want to play?"

"Let's play hide and seek daddy!" He exclaims, bouncing up and down in his spot.

Immediately Gohan gets a sense of déjà vu. He feels like he's seen this somewhere before but he can't think of where exactly. He immediately shakes off the feeling, thinking it's nothing. "Alright squirt, do you want to start by hiding of seeking?"

"Hiding!" He responds instantly, now swaying from side to side. He really wants to get the game underway. "Close your eyes and count to ten!"

Again, Gohan gets a feeling like this has happened already, but once again shakes it off. Not willing to make the boy wait, Gohan immediately closes his eyes and starts counting. As soon as he sees that his daddy is not looking, Goten laughs and runs off into the woods in order to find a hiding spot that will take a while for his daddy to find him in.

Gohan does a true count of ten. He then starts his usual routine when he plays this game with Goten by going around past all of the chibi's favorite hiding spots, making as much noise as possible to draw out any giggles from his adoptive son. He then will make a mental note of where those sounds came from and come back to where he heard them once his half-hour of 'searching' is up.

The half-hour passes uneventfully, and soon it's time for him to look through all of the various spots. For some reason, he didn't hear any giggles this time so he actually isn't sure exactly where Goten is. After searching three of the spots however, Gohan once again gets a feeling like this has all happened before, and a sense of dread fills his being as he finally remembers when this all happened.

His nightmare.

Gohan is now panicking. He tries desperately to calm himself down and tell himself that what happened in the nightmare could never happen in real life. There's no way that Frieza, Cell and Bojack could come back from the dead and place ki drainers all around the planet, but he just can't get the picture of Goten from that dream out of his head.

"Goten!" Gohan shouts desperately, hoping with all of his being that Goten will respond.

Nothing.

Gohan's really worried now. He is now frantically searching the forest, far and wide for his little boy, the most precious life on the planet in his opinion. He searches and searches for a good fifteen minutes and still can't find him. Tears are now freely falling from the teen's eyes as he still can't find a trace of the boy. He really wishes now that he didn't have those ki inhibitors on.

Finally, Gohan drops to his knees as he finds himself too hysterical to go on. Goten is everything to the demi-saiyan. If something happened to the little guy, Gohan doesn't believe that he would have to will to live with everything terrible that's happened to him. Fate has already taken his mother and father from him. He doesn't know what would happen to himself if it took his little brother as well!

"Daddy!" a voice echoes throughout the forest.

At the sound, Gohan's eyes immediately shoot open. That was Goten! He immediately composes himself and sprints off in the direction the sound came from. After about thirty seconds, Gohan runs into a sight that almost makes him break down again.

Goten, completely fine.

At the sight of the chibi demi-saiyan, Gohan charges the boy, wrapping him in a tight embrace. The embrace is so tight that Goten has a hard time breathing.

"Da-addy… a-air…" the little guy chokes out.

Gohan quickly loosens the embrace and lets the little boy breathe. He's just so relieved! After that latest nightmare and the similarities between it and what happened while playing this game of hide and seek, he's just so glad to see that his little boy is alright. He knows that realistically, he should have figured as much, but the memory of how Goten was killed right before his very eyes was extremely traumatizing to the eldest demi-saiyan. The fact that he just had the nightmare last night doesn't help either.

As soon as the little guy can breathe again, he wiggles around in Gohan's arms, but doesn't make an attempt to escape. He always relishes the warm feeling he gets from being in one of his daddy's hugs. Instead, the little boy wraps his arms around the bigger demi-saiyan and hugs him back.

At this motion, Gohan hugs the little guy again, not as tightly this time. After a few moments, the hug breaks and Goten finally speaks up. "Are you feeling better daddy?" he asks, looking up into Gohan's wide, glassy eyes. Tear tracks are evident on the large demi-saiyan's face and his eyes widen at the boy's concern. How does he know that he was worried like crazy?

"What are you talking about Goten?" he asks his 'son,' still wide eyed at how he could have possibly known.

Goten looks down into Gohan's chest. "Well, I could feel you and you feelded really scared. More scared than I've ever feelded you before so I tried to find you to make you feel better." The chibi answers honestly. He then looks up into Gohan's eyes with wide, glassy eyes of his own and a small frown on his face giving him an absolutely adorable appearance. "Did it work? Do you feel better?"

Again with the sensing! Gohan still has no clue how Goten can sense him, and even less of a clue how he can tell when he's scared or sad. Once he gets over that astonishment however, the weight of the little demi-saiyan's words hits home and Gohan once again smiles at Goten's caring and loving personality. "Yes Goten, it worked very well," the older demi-saiyan answers sincerely. He then hugs the boy once more in gratitude. "Thank you very much squirt."

Goten smiles and just sits in his daddy's lap as the young dad now stokes the little boy's hair affectionately. He really loves his daddy and is glad that he's not scared anymore. He doesn't like it when he's scared, but he's been scared a lot recently. He's just glad that he can relieve his daddy's fears for a little while.

Gohan meanwhile continues to ponder how Goten could sense him. The chibi clearly can't sense ki yet. One, he's only three years old, much too young to learn that skill yet, even if he is a saiyan. Two, Gohan has even tried to see if Goten can sense people before, but he's never been able to. This only leads to confuse the demi-saiyan even more.

He figures it has something to do with how Goten reacted when he was just born and just met him for the first time. It was like the neonate could sense him even though he wasn't even in the room yet. He found that very strange for a newborn, not even a half-hour old to be able to do. And then, another thought crosses his mind:

If Goten can sense him, can he sense Goten?

In all honesty, Gohan had never tried before. He can sense all of the other Z-fighters on Earth so he never really actually tried to see if he could sense his brother individually. He just assumed he couldn't with the ki inhibitors on. Gohan wants to test this new theory so he subtlely reaches his ki out to try and sense Goten.

Gohan's eyes widen in astonishment when he realizes that he can! Gohan can sense an overwhelming feeling of warmth very close and he knows for sure that that is Goten. It's so overwhelming that he wonders how he never felt it before!

At first Gohan thought that the ki inhibitors had stopped working. Perhaps Goten could only sense him since he has such a strong bond with the little demi-saiyan and therefore his ki would be easily recognized and read by the little guy. Gohan tests this theory by trying to close off his ki senses.

The teen finds this task rather difficult to do since he's been sensing ki for such a long time–ever since he was four when Piccolo had started training him–but eventually he is able to close off his senses of everyone. Gohan's eyes widen even further when he realizes something:

He can still sense Goten!

How he can still sense Goten when his ki senses are tuned out completely (not to mention he has a ki inhibitor on) is a mystery to him and only leads to confusion. Could it be an innate ability of his? A sign of the incredible bond between two brothers that is more like father and son?

As Gohan feels the warm ebb of ki that is his brother and concentrates further, he starts to realize how Goten could know when he was feeling sad or scared. He can clearly feel the emotions of his brother coming through this bond. He can tell how comfortable and calm the little boy is at the moment just by the way his ki feels.

Gohan can't help but notice how completely content and at ease he himself is at the moment either! It's like he's feeding off of Goten's warmth and it brings him warmth as well. He ponders if Goten feels the same way when he is around him.

Is _this _why Goten has never cried when he was around before?

Was it because when he felt Gohan through this bond that they share and felt overwhelming warmth like the teen feels from the chibi and suddenly feels comforted?

He then starts to wonder if this is the reason that he loves the chibi so much. In general, Gohan is a very generous and caring person, befriending people very easily and those he cares for he _deeply_ cares for; that's one of the reasons he left: so the gang doesn't need to feel sad when he reminds them of his father.

However, Goten is in a whole different category. He has never loved anyone so much before, not even his father when he was alive and it was said that they had a unique bond themselves. The only thing that comes close is the special bond he shared with his children from the future, but that is a natural bond. He wonders if it is because when he feels Goten through this bond that it gives him a natural draw to the chibi due to the sheer warmth and comfort it brings.

As Gohan ponders these discoveries more, he looks down at his brother–no, _son_ he amends mentally–and can't help the smile that makes its way to his face. Goten had fallen asleep in his arms a little while ago while Gohan was thinking about what he just found out about their incredible bond. The teen quietly laughs, trying his best not to wake up the child–_his_ child. Only Goten could be so excited one moment and fall asleep like a baby the next second.

The eldest demi-saiyan cradles the little boy in his arms and slowly rises to his feet. He then hovers over the forest ground in order to avoid making noise while heading back to the house and to avoid rougher movement. He knows that it is unnecessary–Goten is an extremely heavy sleeper–but Gohan wants to make it as peaceful for the little demi-saiyan as possible.

Gohan reasons that he fell asleep at the perfect time. It was about time for Goten to take a little nap anyways. He usually gets tired about an hour or so after breakfast. After all, despite the fact that he is developing quicker than a normal human baby due to his saiyan genes he is still only a toddler. They usually need a nap or two over the day in order to help them grow. He'll just take Goten to the buffet after he wakes up.

Gohan makes his way in the same fashion to Goten's room. He gently lays the chibi down on the bed and covers him in the comforter that was left unmade in the little boy's haste to get to his daddy's room last night. Unlike in the morning, Goten is used to Gohan leaving him by himself for his nap, so the little boy doesn't even make a move of protest once he's out of the teen's arms; he just continues to sleep contentedly.

A smile adorns the face of Gohan, just as it always does when watching his son sleep. He runs his hand through the little boy's hair once before turning around and making his way out of the room and to the kitchen. Someone has to do all of those dishes from breakfast.

* * *

Translations:

ki- Energy

sensei- master, teacher

chibi- cute child, dwarf


	3. Junjoubu

**A/N: Hey hey everybody!**

**I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and followed this story so far. You all rock!**

**This chapter I had a fun time writing. I really hope that you guys like it as well. **

**As you can kinda tell, I really don't have much to say today so without further ado, here's chapter 2. Enjoy it!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 2: Junjoubu

~Satan City, Age 771~

"Daddy! What restaurant are we going to go to?!" Goten squeals in anticipation, griping his daddy's neck a bit tighter to keep from falling off of his perch on his arm. "Is it the same one as last year? "

Gohan winces as he remembers last year's trip to the restaurant as he makes his way down Hercule Blvd. in the city named after a fraud. Being the genius that he is, he believed that just because Goten was only two that he wouldn't eat too much, even though he is a saiyan and he looked more like he was almost three thanks to saiyan genes, so he took the little boy to a normal restaurant.

Let's just say that his wallet took quite the beating that day for that decision.

Even though he has more than enough money to afford a normal restaurant, thanks to the medical malpractice case, he still doesn't want to be reckless with money, so instead he's taking Goten to a buffet. He just hopes that the owner doesn't kick them out for eating all of their food. "No Goten, we're going to a place where you can eat all you want this year."

Goten's eyes widen at that statement. "Really?" he asks disbelievingly. They're going to a place where he can eat to his heart's–or rather his stomach's–content? That's a lot of food! "Oh boy! All I can eat! I'm going to eat so much stuff daddy!"

Goten then starts listing off the various foods that he's going to eat at the speed that leaves Gohan in the dust. Gohan chuckles good-naturedly at the boy's excitement. He has to admit that he's excited too for this buffet. He has done his research on the place that they're going to eat at and found that it's not only the biggest buffet in Satan City, but also the nicest in terms of food quality as well. Normally buffets have mediocre food at best, but he's read many good reviews about this place's food as well as selection.

Of course after figuring out that he has that special bond with Goten earlier, he wonders if it's the chibi's excitement that is rubbing off on him through the bond.

As Gohan continues to make his way towards the restaurant, babbling chibi in tow, he picks up the distinct sound of police sirens followed by gunfire in the distance. Gohan groans internally. Sounds like some crime again. Judging by the sound and volume of the sirens and shots, Gohan deduces that there are at least five cop cars on the chase and that the chase is about half a mile away, moving away from them. Sounds like something he may need to step in for.

He has helped out in the past (under a disguise of course). The first time he used Kaioken in order to move fast enough to hide himself and his movements from the visual eye. If he went super saiyan, everyone would recognize him on the news and come roaring after him to make him come home. With Kaioken though, he was able to make it so that the cameras didn't catch his movements and it looked like the weapons the criminals had used backfired on them in order to make it less suspicious of his activity. After all, the Z-fighters might be able to figure out that he intervened if he made it look like the criminals were taken out by nobody since they know of his abilities.

He found it a bit difficult to fight crime without raising suspicion under the guise of Kaioken though, so after that first time, he went to the store to buy an outfit, as well as some fabric to put some final touches on it. He then worked hard on making an adjustment to his wristband that would allow him to change into the outfit at the press of a button. It took many tries, but after about two weeks, he finally did it, and now his wristband has another attachment to it that allows him to change into his super hero outfit.

His outfit looks incredibly outrageous to the naked eye, but is filled with a bunch of really unique technology. One thing it does is gives him not only a different set of clothes, but an altered appearance. For one, he's a good ten inches taller, giving him a much older appearance, and he has an orange helmet on with a visor that changes his voice to sound deeper and more mature than his does. He figures that he will have this voice in a few years. That and his green tunic and black spandex along with his white combat boots and gloves cover his entire body so that his entire body is disguised.

Now I know what you're saying: green tunic with black spandex, white gloves and boots, and an orange helmet with a visor and antennae (did I forget to mention the antennae? Sorry!). What kind of ridiculous person would even _think_ of wearing that? Gohan however would respond to this by saying that it is completely and fully functional and serves its purpose to the highest efficacy.

Plus Goten said it looks cool.

The next time there was crime was about a week after he made the addition to the wristband. He transformed into his new clothes and stopped a bank robbery under the pseudonym "Junjoubu(1),"and so ever since then, 'Junjoubu' has been known as a hero of Satan City.

He hasn't had to fight crime in a few months now. Crime rates have been on a steady decline ever since he started stepping in to help, so he's really only had to use the disguise a handful of times lately, but it sounds like he'll need to make another appearance today.

Goten jumps at the sound. He's never heard these sounds before. He can tell that his daddy heard them as well and seems to be on high alert. He gently tugs Gohan's hair to get his attention. When his daddy is looking at him, he sees concern running through his eyes, which makes him nervous. "Daddy, what is that sound?" Goten asks, partly through curiosity and partly in fear.

Gohan realized as soon as he saw Goten's reaction to the sirens and guns that he's never heard them before. He's never been here when he's had to stop a crime. Goten knows all about Junjoubu and the fact that it's Gohan in disguise (He really loves that his daddy's a superhero!) but he's never been around when he's been in action. Gohan has always gone to the city during one of the boy's naps, and usually was only gone to pick up groceries. In fact, this is only the second time the little demi-saiyan has been in the city, and he didn't need to fight crime last year on Goten's birthday.

Upon feeling the fear coming from the boy through their unique bond, Gohan makes a move to comfort the boy by bringing the boy to his chest and giving him a reassuring hug, which Goten returns by latching his arms around Gohan's neck. Once he breaks the hug, he explains what the sounds are to Goten. "Those are police sirens Goten." he replies to the chibi's question. Upon seeing Goten's confused expression, he elaborates a bit more. "They signal crime in the city and its sounds like there are a lot of them, so it may be time for 'Junjoubu' to make an appearance!"

Gohan smiles when Goten's apprehensive expression melts into an excited one. "WOW you mean I'll really be able to see you fight crime daddy!?" he shouts out excitedly.

Gohan flinches at the volume of Goten's question. He completely forgot that they were in the middle of the open. Thankfully, nobody is around this particular street at the moment.

That could have been bad.

Finally, he answers his son's question in a more hushed voice. "From a safe distance yes, but there's bound to be a crowd of people around so you can't say that it's me fighting the criminals okay?"

Goten frowns. "But why not daddy?! I want everybody to know how awesome my daddy is!" he replies, grinning up at Gohan with pride evident in his eyes.

Normally Gohan would melt at a statement like that, but this is serious business. He does _not_ want everyone to come out here looking for him. So far the disguise has worked to perfection since it makes him look older and he really hasn't displayed anything that would give away the fact that he can manipulate ki. As far as the Z-fighters know, it's some superhero geek that was able to make a technologically advanced costume and has basic martial arts skills (in a way, they're right!).

He wants to keep it that way so as much as it pains him, he has to disappoint his son. "I'm sorry Goten, but you can't give away that it's really me. I know you want to shout out to the world that you're daddy's a superhero, but I just can't have people knowing it's me."

"But why daddy?" He asks, now with a full frown on his face. He doesn't understand why his daddy would want to keep something like that a secret. To him, being a superhero is the awesomest, most coolest thing in the world!

*sigh* "Goten, you have to understand that if people knew I was Junjoubu, then criminals who want revenge could target the ones that I love, mainly you."

"What does revenge mean daddy?"

"It means that if I beat up a criminal that they will want to beat me up in return because I beat them up and put them in jail."

Goten looks at Gohan astonished. "Are you serious daddy?" he asks disbelievingly. "But they did bad things!"

"Yes they did Goten, but they still don't like it when they are put in jail." Gohan responds. "What if they have a family and the family wants to get revenge for them?"

Goten still doesn't understand though. He looks up at Gohan with his head tilted to the side, a sign that he's confused. "But daddy, if they have a family, why would they do bad things? Don't they know that they would be put in jail for those bad things and taken away from their family? What kind of person would leave their family like that?"

Gohan is shocked by Goten's questions. In all honesty he didn't think that the three year old would take it this far. Heck! He didn't think that he had the cognitive thinking skills to be able to reason that being in jail would take a person away from his family! It must be a saiyan development thing.

Unknowingly to Goten, he also struck a chord inside of Gohan as well. He can't help but think that his father left his family, although for completely different reasons than Goten had stated. Still, it hits Gohan in a sensitive spot and he can't help but remember what Goten just stated.

What kind of person _would_ leave their family like that?

Gohan suddenly scowls. _Dad left us! He could have come back, but he refused to, just so he can train! In a lot of ways, he is like those criminals that leave their families to do crime! _

Gohan is shocked by his inner musings. Did he just compare his father, the greatest savior the planet has ever seen, to a criminal? This just confirms his earlier beliefs that he needs to get some help with his inner 'issues' but for now, he answers Goten's question, while approaching the crime site. "I don't know Goten. I personally would never even dream of leaving you just so I could do something bad, but there are people out there that do. Just promise me that you won't tell anyone who I am."

Goten however still doesn't look entirely convinced, so he goes for his trump card, a guarantee that he knows will work. He strokes his hand through Goten's hair affectionately while stating in a worried tone, "I just don't want you to get hurt Goten."

The little boy sighs before he reluctantly nods at his daddy. "Okay," he finally concedes. "I won't say you're Junjoubu…" The boy looks a bit dejected since he can't reveal that his daddy is the greatest superhero ever in his eyes, but he realizes that when his daddy's concerned about his safety that all hope about winning the argument is lost.

His daddy worries too much.

Gohan feels a little bad about having to trick Goten like that. While it is a legitimate concern that if anyone found out who he actually was that they would try and enact revenge, the teen knows that no criminal can touch him, and as long as he's around, he doesn't have to worry about Goten either. He just couldn't tell Goten his real reason for keeping his identity secret: keeping the Z-gang off of his trail. While Goten would probably be happy to meet all the people that he's heard so much about, Gohan just isn't ready to confront everyone yet.

Finally, about thirty seconds after the conclusion of the conversation between the two Sons, they both arrive at the scene of the crime. As predicted, there's a huge crowd of people watching behind the yellow police tape surrounding the scene. The scene of the crime has already developed enough where the building (which Gohan has now identified as Satan City National Bank) is surrounded by an entourage of police cars and officers with riot shields in order to protect the public from loose gunfire. However, the situation seems to still be quite intense as the robbers of the bank seem to be in control of the situation and are making demands.

Visually, he can see two criminals outside of the building with high power weaponry. The criminals were able to obtain a few assault rifles and even a rocket launcher. How these crooks got these kinds of weapons is a complete mystery to the demi-saiyan but he now understands why the police are on the defensive, even though they outnumber the criminals by ten times. The most that they have is a pistol and they know that if it came down to a gunfight that they wouldn't stand a chance.

Gohan stretches his ki senses to see if there are any criminals inside the building. He can sense a bunch of people in the building, but every one of them except for three is completely terrified. He can tell by how much their kis are wavering and spiking. Gohan assumes that those that aren't terrified are the remaining criminals. After another ki scan of the five criminals, Gohan concludes that they all have average ki levels for a human.

Seeing how bad the situation actually is, Gohan decides that he doesn't want Goten to be so close to the scene. While he knows that a few bullets won't hurt the chibi thanks to toughness of his saiyan skin, he still is only a toddler and would be utterly terrified, plus Gohan would be constantly worried about him as well, so he quickly dashes into the nearest ally and jumps to the top of an overseeing building. He knows that Goten will be able to see from this high up thanks to his saiyan senses, but this way, he will be completely out of harm's way.

As he sets the boy down on the roof of the building, Goten gives him a confused expression. "Why did you take me here daddy?"

Gohan ruffles the chibi's hair, making him smile. "I didn't want you too close to the scene Goten." he answers honestly. "Plus from up here you can see everything. Now just stay here until I–"

"Hey daddy! Who's that trying to stop the bad guys?" Goten cuts off Gohan. He is looking down at the crime scene with a look of complete interest.

While annoyed that he was interrupted when giving instructions to his son, he looks down to see what Goten is talking about and his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

A girl, no older than he is, is standing in front of the police barricade. From where he is, he can tell that she has raven black hair and is wearing a baggy white tee-shirt that goes all the way down to her mid-thigh. The two robbers are looking at her with incredulous expressions until they break out into a fit of laughter as if the girl had said something incredibly funny, much to the anger of the girl.

Gohan takes a better look at the girl. She is facing away from him so he can't see her face, but he gets the feeling that he's seen her somewhere before, met her even. He can't place what it is that's causing this feeling of familiarity; perhaps it's something in her ki or perhaps he's seen her on TV or something.

The strange thing though is that when she got angry, Gohan could feel her ki spike without having to focus on it. That usually means that the ki is much higher than the people in the vicinity, and that would mean that this is no normal girl. He was going to change straight to Junjoubu and interfere until he sensed her ki spike. Now he finds himself intrigued by this girl and wants to see what she can do. Of course he still will be on red alert if he finds that she can't handle herself, but he really wants to see this girl in action if she has such an above average ki for a normal human. Who knows! Perhaps he'll even be able to identify who it is!

"I'm not exactly sure who that is Goten," he finally answers the boy. "But from what I can sense from her ki she is no normal girl. I would like to find out myself. Let's see what she can do before I go down there and help." With that he sits down next to Goten on the roof of the building and watches the scene unfold, subconsciously ready to jump off and transform to Junjoubu in the blink of an eye if he needs to step in.

Back to the scene of the crime, the criminals continue to laugh their heads off. That girl that looks like she couldn't be more than 14 years old had the audacity to tell _them_ to surrender or else _they _would get hurt! Such an idea is so absolutely ridiculous in their minds that it is hilarious. This only serves to make the girl angrier than she already was and it pushes her to take action.

The raven haired girl jumps from her position thirteen feet in front of the criminals while they are still laughing. She does a front flip before she lands graciously on her feet right behind them, her back now facing theirs. The two criminals immediately stop laughing and turn around only to have an elbow slam into each of their faces.

The force of the blow takes them both off guard and they both fall backwards, dropping their weapons in succession. The girl then rounds on one of the criminals as he tries to get up and presses her advantage, giving him a sucker punch to the gut followed by a kick to the side as he's keeled over from the punch. The criminal flies across the crime zone and ends up landing right next to the police chief, who immediately cuffs the unfortunate criminal.

Gohan blinks. He knew that that girl was no normal girl from the start with how much higher her ki was than everyone else's. He really shouldn't be surprised by how she was able to handle that guy but he is. He continues to gaze at the scene with an even greater interest now, relaxing a little since he figures that she will be able to handle herself just fine for now.

Perhaps he won't need to step in after all!

The mystery girl now turns towards the other criminal, who has finally regained his composure, and dashes towards him. As she makes her way to knock the guy out, the criminal dashes towards his gun. However, before he gets the chance to pick it up, he feels a painful sensation to his left side and stumbles sideways for a few staggering steps until he falls over, courtesy of a roundhouse kick from the crime-fighting raven-haired female. As the criminal tries to get up once again, she gives him another kick and sends him sprawling towards the police line where the nearest officer is waiting with cuffs.

Gohan is still wrapping his mind around what just happened. She completely _owned_ those criminals! It is after that thought that it finally clicks in Gohan's mind who she is and where he recognizes her from.

That girl is none other than Videl Satan, daughter of the fraud Hercule Satan, and also the girl that he fought at the Intergalactic tournament in the prelims.

How could he have not seen it before? He remembers everything now: how she was able to take out almost all of the competitors single-handedly; how she was able to actually hit him in their spar (which is almost impossible for a person without knowledge of ki manipulation) as the last two on the platform; how she actually didn't think that his father was a faker and a fraud despite being the daughter of the man at the heart of those accusations; how he told himself that he would befriend her after the tournament was over; how he never was given the chance thanks to the whole Bojack scenario. Gohan makes a mental note to meet up with her after this whole thing is over and done with. Perhaps he may even invite her to lunch with him and Goten!

Back at the scene of the crime, as soon as the threats on the outside of the banks are dealt with the police force moves their way towards the entrance of the building to deal with the threats inside. They immediately confiscate the weapons that are outside and get a SWAT team ready to rescue the hostages. However, before they can even get a team assembled the Videl charges in to the building. This shocks a certain demi-saiyan immensely.

"What is Videl thinking?!" Gohan shouts. Goten looks at his daddy confused.

"What's wrong daddy?" he asks him. "Who's Videl?"

"Videl is that girl that was beating up all of the criminals," the teen replies not taking his eyes off of the crime scene, "and she just charged into that building with armed robbers who have hostages by herself!" He then looks over at Goten and upon seeing Goten's confused expression, he adds, "That building is full of bad guys with weapons that can hurt her really bad and she just charged in by herself!"

The birthday boy's eyes widen upon hearing that and a look of pure concern crosses his eyes. "Are you serious daddy? You've got to help her!"

Gohan agrees wholeheartedly. While she does have a ki level that is greater than everyone else at the scene (besides Goten and himself), she still is just an average human, so unless she has learned to control her ki to make her body more resilient, bullets could seriously hurt her. If the guys from outside were anything to go by, these guys in the bank probably have pretty serious firepower as well.

Sure, she was able to take out the criminals in front easy enough, but they were caught completely off guard. These guys inside will be prepared for her, plus there's three of them if his senses are correct, not to mention that they have hostages as well. If anything happens to that girl and Gohan could have prevented it, he would never be able to forgive himself.

So in the blink of an eye, Gohan transforms into his superhero identity at the push of a button on his wristband. "Stay here until I come back for you okay Goten?" Gohan asks in his new adjusted voice.

Goten giggles a little at the sound of his daddy's voice. It sounds so weird to him for his daddy to have a deeper voice, but he nods his head in confirmation nonetheless. "I will daddy!"

Gohan nods and quickly descends from the building that he and Goten were on top of. He needs to make his move inconspicuously in order to avoid showing off too much. Videl beating up the two armed criminals in front of the bank and then blindly charging into said occupied bank with nothing but her fists for protection will surely be the top story on the news this evening. He really needs to be careful not to give away his identity to the Z-fighters.

With that in mind, he quickly makes his way over to the police chief and checks to see what he can do. Upon seeing Junjoubu, the chief of police gives him a somewhat relieved expression. "Ah Junjoubu!" he says in a professional tone. Despite the situation, he seems to be keeping his cool pretty well. "Glad you're here. We have a bit of a situation here. There are three guys in the building, all armed with assault rifles."

"I saw everything chief," Junjoubu replies. "I will take care of the criminals inside of the building and rescue the hostages as well as Miss Satan."

The chief gives Junjoubu a confused expression. "I don't think you need to worry about Videl. She should be fine on her own. She actually is quite capable of taking out those guys. She is the daughter of Mr. Satan after all."

The chief is shocked at how Junjoubu reacted to Videl's entrance. He isn't too worried about her; he knows that she shouldn't have a problem dealing with the criminals. He's more concerned with the hostages inside. "However, you should go in and help her by evening the odds. With the two of you, you guys should be able to distract them long enough for us to perform a stealth rescue operation on the hostages."

To say Gohan is shocked at the police chief would be an understatement. What kind of sane person would send a child into an extremely dangerous situation like that willingly? Gohan would never even think of putting Goten into any unnecessary danger and he's pretty much indestructible in most circumstances!

_Then again, _Gohan internally muses, his memories shifting to his battle with Cell and how his father basically threw him under the bus by telling him to take his place, _it sounds like something I was forced to do by my father!_

Gohan quickly shakes off those thoughts. _I can't think about that now! I need to save those hostages… and Videl! _"No problem chief!" he quickly responds to the chief's request. "I'll get right on it!" Junjoubu quickly enters the building and the sight of the situation at hand makes him cringe.

Two of the criminals are teaming up on Videl, both with their guns pointed right at her while the other one continues to watch the hostages. Unlike their allies outside, they actually know what the Satan girl is capable of so they're not taking any chances. Videl seems to be frozen in place, not out of fear, but because she isn't stupid. She knows that if she goes after one of them, the other will not hesitate to shoot her. She's more angry at herself for being so careless than afraid for her life.

The criminals are so into their jobs that they didn't notice Junjoubu's entrance until the doors opened. If they would have been paying more attention to their surroundings they would have seen the hero as he was approaching through the tinted glass doors. As soon as they hear the door open though, all three criminals shoot their gazes at the new arrival and immediately point their weapons at him.

Videl notices their shift in attention immediately and instead of following their gaze, she rushes one of the guys that was targeting her and gives him a powerful roundhouse kick to the back of the neck. The criminal, completely off guard from behind, takes the full brunt of the blow, rendering him unconscious instantly without even making a sound.

Upon hearing one of their comrades hit the ground with a thud, the two remaining criminals turn back to see what caused such a disturbance, only for one of them to get a punch to the face courtesy of the one and only Videl Satan. Once again, the criminal is off-guard, not expecting that to happen first thing he turned his head, and he takes the full power of the punch, which shatters his nose and sends him flying across the floor reeling in pain and eventually passes out.

After seeing his last two partners in crime go down in less than ten seconds, the last remaining criminal has had enough. "I'm through with you Satan!" he shouts, fury lacing his voice. Before Videl can make her way to him, he points his rifle at the heroine and starts to pull the trigger. "I'm going to kill yo–!"

"You're not killing anyone today!"

Before the criminal can finish his sentence and get a shot fired, Junjoubu gives him a hard karate chop to the neck, instantly rendering him unconscious. The criminal gracelessly falls to the ground in a bunch.

Upon seeing their captors down, the hostages cheer loudly in appreciation for their two heroes. At the same moment, the police team that was standing by to rescue the hostages comes in from behind and is shocked to see that not only are the criminals distracted, but they are all taken out, each one unconscious spread out across the room.

The chief immediately makes his way over to the two heroes as the rest of the squad finishes rounding up the hostages and handcuffing the criminals. "Well done!" he praises, flashing a bright smile at the teen and the comically dressed man. "You guys took out those three guys rather quickly. I wasn't expecting to be able to freely lead these hostages out like this."

He takes a quick glance around the room to see his fellow officers guiding the populace out of the building before fixing his gaze back on the two young crime-fighters. "You know, you two make a really good team," he adds as an afterthought.

Junjoubu rubs the back of his helmet sheepishly with a goofy grin on his face while Videl scowls. "Yeah well I could have handled it on my own!" the young Satan retorts with a bit of a snarl.

Junjoubu raises his eye brows at the girl's attitude. From what he remembers, she was stuck in a rather sticky situation when he first entered the building. Perhaps she had some trick up her sleeve, but still, he's a bit annoyed that his assistance went unappreciated.

The chief sighs at Videl's response. She's been this way ever since she started working for the police a couple of weeks ago. Since Junjoubu hadn't shown up in months, they had asked for help from the World Champ himself, but Hercule had turned them down in an instant, saying that he was too busy with his dojo and with his training to volunteer to fight crime. Upon hearing about the offer to her father though, Videl had jumped at the opportunity, seeing it as a way to finally get out of her father's shadow and prove herself to the rest of the world.

And she did. She really proved herself well over the last few weeks and is becoming a vital asset to the police force. The chief admits that at first he was incredibly skeptical if she should even be in this situation. The girl is only 14 years old for crying out loud! But time and time again, she has proved herself to not only be a help in taking down criminals, but actually to be able to take out entire teams of armed criminals since they underestimate her the vast majority of the time because she's so young!

Then again, what else could he expect from the daughter of the world champ. He can tell that she inherited his fighting skills, and his heroic spirit. Sure, she may not be fighting the single-most powerful super villain that the Earth has ever known like her father, but she is risking her life every time she helps out aiding the police in keeping order in the city.

The problem though is that she has been a bit _too_ successful in her endeavors. Don't get the chief wrong; he's glad that she hasn't gotten hurt yet and is glad that she has been so dang useful to his force, but he has a feeling it's starting to get to her.

Unlike Junjoubu, Videl will constantly refuse help from others when she is fighting a criminal. She would rather work alone and prove that she can handle a dangerous situation on her own.

Although as the chief ponders the fact more deeply, he figures that she's just trying to make a name for herself. She has big shoes to fill with who her father is. He figures that perhaps she is trying to prove that she's not just "Hercules's daughter" but "Videl Satan," an amazing fighter and person in her own right.

But still, what good would that be if she got seriously hurt–or even killed–just because she refused assistance due to her pride?

Getting back to the situation at hand, the chief finally speaks to Videl. "I'm sure you would have done just fine on your own Videl, but I'm just stating a fact here. I'm not exactly sure how the whole situation in the building went down, but the two of you together were able to take out three heavily armed men by yourselves before we were even able to start our stealth operation. We were only looking for you to distract them, but you did even more. That's all Videl."

Junjoubu opens his mouth to make a comment about the situation Videl had herself in, but said girl beats him to the punch. "I guess he helped speed things up… but I still could have taken them out by myself."

Finally, Junjoubu has had enough. What is her deal and trying to prove that she can take out a few criminals on her own? Who cares that he helped her–heck probably saved her life! The most important thing is that the situation was dealt with and no one (innocent) got hurt.

"Now hold on Miss Satan!" he speaks up, shocking both the police chief and Videl, who turn to look at him. While his eyes are masked behind the black visor, they can tell by his aura as well as his tone of voice that he is upset. "What does it matter if I helped you or not? The important thing is that everyone made it out safe! If the situation was rectified faster, then that's even better! Think about those hostages and put your pride aside for once in your life!"

Both the police chief and Videl are taken aback by Junjoubu's comments. The chief gets nervous as he knows how Videl is going to react to that. While she's only been on the force for a few weeks, he has known her for much longer and has seen her mad before. There's only one thought going through his mind at this moment.

This is not going to be pretty.

As predicted, Videl doesn't take too kindly to Junjoubu's comments. "What are you saying!?" she shouts, giving the comically dressed hero a death glare that may actually be able to kill. "That I don't care about the people I'm saving? Why do you think I'm doing this?! I _damn well_ care for the people I'm saving!"

Gohan is taken aback by the furosity that Videl is yelling with. Before he has a chance to retort however, she just continues her rant. "Who asked for your help anyways?" she shouts at the other crime-fighter. "You just show up out of nowhere and think that you can do what I do with all of your fancy clothes and technology. At least _I _have skill and I don't need help, most certainly not _yours_!"

She continues to glare daggers at the unfortunate disguised demi-saiyan and she just seems to get angrier as she brings up her next point. "Oh yeah by the way, _who the hell ARE you anyways_?! You always come in that damn disguise as if you're an _actual_ super hero! Take off that tin can if you want to even _consider_ helping me you flashy bastard!"

After that final outburst Videl storms off without giving Junjoubu a chance to retort. She's still furious at what that clown had the audacity to say to her. How _dare_ he question her motives to volunteer for the force! How _dare _he tell her that she could use help!

_He probably wants part of the glory for himself!_ She angrily muses. _He just wants to say he's a super hero! He certainly dresses like one! Who is that guy anyways!?_ She continues walking down the street thinking similar thoughts.

Junjoubu is still frozen in shock as he watches Videl stalk away, not even bothering to go after her.

What was _that_!?

Based on how she acted when he met her at the Intergalactic Tournament almost three years ago he wouldn't have thought she had that explosive of a temper. In fact, she seemed rather shy around him. The police chief sees this and sympathizes with him. He knows what it's like to be on the wrong end of one of those tirades!

After a few moments, Junjoubu regains his composure and sighs, rubbing the back of his head in frustration. "Is there anything else you need me for chief?" he finally asks, wanting to get back to Goten and take him to the buffet, completely forgetting that he wanted to meet up with Videl after the crime was taken care of.

The chief of police shakes his head negatively. "You've done enough. We can handle it from here." he states. Junjoubu nods and turns to make his way down the street when the chief's voice catches his attention again. "You know you were right to call her out on the fact that she doesn't accept help…" he suddenly says, causing Junjoubu to turn around and listen. "I really worry about her sometimes. She may be the world savior's daughter and a talented warrior, but she still is just a fourteen year old girl. I hope that despite the reaction she gave that she still is thinking about what you said seriously."

Junjoubu gives the chief a small frown. "I hope so too chief." He turns around and continues to walk down the street, making his way to the backside of the building that Goten is on top of. He does a double check to make sure that no one is around and then quickly jumps up to the top of the building, pressing the button on his wristband effectively changing his clothes and appearance back to normal.

Goten notices that his daddy is back and runs over to him and jumps into his arms. He wasn't able to see what Gohan was doing in the building since the doors were tinted so that you couldn't see inside, but he wasn't worried in the slightest. He knows his daddy is the strongest person in the universe, but he was worried about the girl that went in before him. When both his daddy and Videl came out of the building unharmed however, he was relieved. Despite the fact that he doesn't know the girl, Goten hates seeing people who don't deserve it get hurt.

He was confused however when he felt through his bond with his daddy that Gohan was getting mad at the girl which surprised him. He's _never_ seen his daddy get mad! Annoyed sometimes if he's being silly and accidentally breaks something perhaps, but never mad.

The chibi wonders what made his daddy so mad at the girl. He was pretty far away from where they were talking, but with his sensitive saiyan hearing, he could hear every word that his daddy said. He was mad that the girl (Miss Satan was it?) didn't like that he had helped her out which confused Goten.

Why would the girl not like the fact that his daddy helped? His daddy told him to always ask for help if he needed it and that it's no big deal if he needed it. So why would that girl not want help if it beat the bad guys faster? He agrees with his daddy that all that matters is that the bad guys are stopped and are going to jail.

However what Goten did not expect was for the girl to start shouting at his daddy. The birthday boy admits that she is scary when she's mad. She was yelling at his daddy like no tomorrow, using a few words that he's never heard before that made him flinch. Those must be the bad words that his daddy told him about.

She then stormed off and he could feel the confusion and shock in his daddy. Goten admits that he was shocked too, but by the time he got over this shock, his daddy was already making his way back to the roof.

Now Goten is both happy that his daddy is okay, yet confused at what the Miss Satan lady was mad about. "Daddy," he addresses Gohan, causing said boy to break the embrace and look at his son. "Why was that Miss Satan lady mad that you helped her?"

At first Gohan wonders how Goten was able to know what she was mad about when he realizes that she was shouting extremely loud. He figures anyone within a two mile radius was able to her Videl's tirade, and most certainly Goten would be able to.

He sighs as he thinks about what he's going to say. How does he explain what pride is to a three year old, especially a three year old that he told that it's okay to always ask for help for anything if he needs it? "It's… complicated," he starts. "Videl wants to show that she can fight bad guys on her own. She doesn't like it when people help her."

Goten looks up at his daddy even more confused, tilting his head slightly to the side. "But why doesn't she like that? You told me always to ask for help and that it's okay to need help, so why doesn't she like it?"

Gohan figured he would answer that way. Perhaps he's just too young to understand. "Like I said Goten, it's complicated. I'll tell you when you're a little older." he responds, causing Goten to frown a bit in frustration that he still doesn't understand. Wanting to change that, Gohan smiles at his son and immediately changes the subject to something that he knows that Goten will be thrilled about. "Now, let's get down from here and go to that buffet. You told me that you were going to eat a ton remember?"

The birthday boy instantly perks up at the subject of food. "Yeah! I'm going to eat so much food!" He once again goes off on a rant about what foods he's going to eat, all confusion about the concept of pride completely forgotten. Gohan internally sighs in relief as he jumps back down from the roof of the building into the back alley, where he then proceeds to take his young chibi to the nicest buffet in town. As he listens to his babbling chibi, he only has one thought in mind.

_Those people at the buffet don't know what's coming to them!_

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf

**A/N:**** (1)****The name 'Junjoubu' is derived from the Japanese kanji "junjou (****純情****)" meaning "purity of heart" and "takeshi (****武****)" or "bu" in the Chinese translation of the kanji meaning "warrior" or "martial arts." I combined these into Gohan's superhero name to give him the title of "the pure hearted martial artist" or "the pure hearted warrior." Credit goes to Pranktical Joker for helping me out with finding the correct kanji that makes sense.**


	4. Meetings, Greetings, and Feelings

**A/N: Hey hey! Happy father's day to everyone!**

**This has been an eventful day for me: I was visiting my brother at his new apartment and my parents and grandmother came up for father's day. It was definitely a good time and I'm thankful to have such an amazing man to call my father. **

**This chapter is a continuation of the last one pretty much. Some really important events take place in this chapter so I hope it keeps everyone's interest. It's also the longest one for this story so far at over 12,000 words.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Now without further ado, here is chapter 3!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 3: Meetings, Greetings, and Feelings

~Demon Realm, Underworld, Age 771~

The Demon Realm: not a pleasant place for most.

This is a realm in an alternate plane to the normal universe that cannot be traversed by normal beings known as the Underworld. Some of the most vile, terrifying creatures live in this plane; a place built off of hate, a place built off of violence, a place built off of evil.

It's the perfect place to recruit a cold hearted warrior.

A small creature wearing a dark brown cloak that covers all of his physical features makes his way across this realm. He travels a trail of blood red earth that leads to a city. Inside that city on top of the tallest plateau lays a gigantic castle built off of pure black stone. It is a sight to see from a distance as the castle appears to stand over the entire city and sticks out in contrast to the dark orange skies of the Demon Realm making it appear as if it were burning. The figure underneath his cloak smirks at the sight.

He will _definitely_ be able to find him there.

A tall humanoid man suddenly meets the cloaked figure. This man has an obvious intimidating appearance. He has dark red skin with frighteningly yellow eyes that could send the bravest of souls running for their lives at the sight of them. His head is shaped in a vertical oval shape with a very pronounced, clean-shaven chin, but there are also horns that protrude out of the top of his head right above the temples, and in the middle of his forehead is a strange black tattoo of a cursive "M." He also has very pointy ears that are more sensitive than even a Namekian's that help him pick up even the slightest of movements and vibrations.

The most intimidating aspect of his appearance however is his extremely muscular build. Every one of his muscles shows definition that would make the most hardcore of body builders jealous. Obviously he is a fighter or warrior of some sort.

He is so tall that the cloaked figure only goes up to his knee, yet despite the obvious size advantage, he gets on one knee and bows to the cloaked figure.

"Master Babidi," the creature greets in a deep, dark voice, his head bowed looking at the red soil. His voice is laced with utmost respect as he continues. "My father is right in that city."

The cloaked figure looks down at his demon servant, scowling. "I know that you nitwit!" he berates his charge in a high pitched squeaky voice. "It's completely obvious with the way he presents his castle. What I want to know is how I get into the castle?"

"My apologies master," the much larger servant quickly apologizes, "but the only way to enter the castle is to fight off and kill his guards. Even I'm not allowed in without doing this."

An evil grin spreads its way across the face of the cloaked figure. "Splendid! What a perfect way to test out your abilities my pet. You can get through can't you?"

"It would be like taking candy from a baby my master. Next to my father, I am the strongest being in the universe," the demon proudly states.

"Excellent!" the short, cloaked figure responds with a feral grin. "Alright Dabura, take me to your father. Once we have him we will finally be ready to start the process of resurrecting Majin Buu! Muhahahaha!"

The demon servant bows his head once more and gets on his feet to lead his master to the king of the Demon Realm. While he might be incredibly strong in his own right, he couldn't hold a candle to his father. Even with his power boost from Babidi's magic, he still would be no match for him in a fight. His strength is what they need on this particular quest.

The creature 'Babidi' smirks under his cloak. _That's right. My plan is coming into place. That saiyan won't know what hit him! He may be powerful, but not even he will stand a chance against the king of the demons! With his ki I would be able to resurrect Buu in no time and that blasted Kai that killed my father will be begging for his life, which of course I won't give him. What a fun day that will be! Muahahaha!_

* * *

~Satan City, Planet Earth~

"Hey! Get back here! I'm not through with you two yet!"

"Yikes! Let's book it Goten!"

A rather comical scene is taking place in downtown Satan City. The owner of the buffet that Gohan took Goten to for his birthday is chasing both Son boys out of the building with a wooden spoon ready to give the two a piece of his mind for basically robbing him of all of his food. The two demi-saiyans in question meanwhile are running at a fast enough pace where they stay ahead of the rather scary owner, yet slow enough where it seems somewhat normal. In order to make sure it's a realistic pace, Gohan is carrying Goten as he 'sprints' out of the restaurant, barely containing his laughter from the scene that just took place.

* * *

**~Earlier at the buffet~**

"**Geez Goten! That's gotta be like your twentieth plate of food!" Gohan exclaims while chuckling good naturedly. He himself had already eaten a good thirty plates and could eat more if he wanted, but Goten is only three years old!**

**The chibi stops inhaling his food for a split second and grins at his daddy. "Yeah, but the food is **_**so**_** good!" the toddler excitedly replies to the elder. "Plus it's all you can eat!" He then goes back to devouring the food at an incredibly fast pace. **

**The serving staff looks on at the two demi-saiyans with wide eyes. All of them are wondering the exact same thing: how can they possibly eat so much?! They're only kids… and one of them doesn't look any older than four! **

**Soon the owner comes out to see how everyone is doing only to see everyone in the restaurant staring at the two demi-saiyans, who show absolutely no sign of stopping soon. He then looks at the remaining food and finds that there is hardly anything left! The owner is flabbergasted at this discovery only for a moment before anger takes over. He's losing so much money to these two! He has to do something before they rob him blind!**

"**You two!" he shouts at the two brothers. They both pause from what they were doing and look up at the owner with matching curious expressions. Upon catching a glance at the pure innocence of their expressions, the owner's resolve to scold them both fades a bit before he remembers how they are losing him valuable profits so he strengthens his resolve once more. "You have both eaten more food than you're welcome and are hereby ordered to leave the premises at once!" **

**Both demi-saiyans look at the owner incredulously. Is he actually kicking them out for eating too much at an **_**all you can eat**_** restaurant? Gohan quickly protests the owner's unjust demand. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't think we **_**can **_**eat too much. You advertise 'all you can eat' which is why we came here in the first place. We should be able to eat all we can eat." **

**Goten quickly nods his head in agreement before continuing on his rather large plate of food. **

**The owner's patience runs thin upon seeing the two children ignore his demand and continue to eat despite it. A vein becomes apparent protruding from one of his temples as he tries not to just run over there and physically throw the two out. After all, that could be considered child abuse. **

"**HEY!" he yells again, immediately catching the attention of the two demi-saiyans once more. "I'm the owner of this fine establishment and I have the right to refuse service to whomever I chose! I said GET OUT!" **

**Despite his earlier qualms about child abuse, he takes one of the wooden spoons from one of the food servers and advances on the two demi-saiyans. Both immediately look at each other and get up from their table, Gohan quickly grabbing Goten.**

**The owner continues to advance on them as Gohan starts backing away from the owner. "Don't you dare think you can walk away from me!" he yells at them, increasing the pace of his advancement to a run. Gohan quickly turns and starts running for the exit. **

"**Hey! Get back here!" the owner yells, now sprinting while waving his wooden spoon around threateningly. "I'm not through with you two yet!"**

"**Yikes!" Gohan quickly yelps, now trying to outrun the owner at a realistic pace. "Let's book it Goten!"**

**The two demi-saiyans quickly exit out of the restaurant, making sure to keep themselves a good distance away from the irate (and somewhat crazy) restaurant owner.**

* * *

~Present time~

Gohan chuckles internally as the restaurant owner continues to chase them down the street. He knew that he would be upset about how much the two of them ate, but this reaction is priceless!

Goten looks back at the owner over Gohan's shoulder and is confused by why the mean man is chasing them. His daddy told him the restaurant was all you can eat, and his daddy never lies, so he doesn't understand why the guy is so mad at them for eating all they could eat (at least before he started yelling at them).

Finally after a few blocks, the owner's endurance finally runs out and he stops chasing the two demi-saiyans. He huffs out a gigantic sigh of frustration before shaking his head and walking back to his restaurant, wondering the whole time how those two were able to run so much after eating basically the whole buffet's worth of food.

Gohan looks back to see that the restaurant owner has finally given up chasing after them. Knowing that the chase is over, Gohan slows down to a normal walking pace and finally lets out his laughter that he kept bottled up inside the whole time.

As he continues to laugh and walk, Goten looks up at his daddy even more confused than earlier. Why is his daddy laughing? What's so funny? "Daddy," Goten asks out loud, causing Gohan to force himself to stop chuckling for a moment to look at his son. "What's so funny?"

Gohan looks at Goten trying his hardest not to burst out into laughter again. "I'm just laughing at that guy's reaction to how much food we ate," he answers.

The birthday boy looks at his daddy even more confused. "But why did he react that way? Doesn't everyone eat as much as we do?"

Gohan finally is able to completely contain his laughter now after hearing what Goten had to say. _That's right, _he silently realizes. _He has never seen how much a normal person has eaten before and last year the waiter was all too happy to keep bringing out food despite the amount simply because it meant more money for him._

Gohan becomes a bit saddened at this realization as this means that Goten really has had no outside contact with people other than himself and shows just how secluded they both are.

"Well Goten," Gohan starts, only to be interrupted by something running into him… or rather someone.

"HEY!" the person shouts, trying to get back to their feet. The voice is pretty feminine and sounds rather young. "Watch where you're going buster before I – GOHAN!?"

Gohan is taken aback at the shout of his name. He wasn't expecting to meet someone who already knows him in _this _city of all places. Once he catches a glimpse of the person who he ran over his eyes immediately widen as he suddenly realizes who he ran into:

Videl.

He can't believe his luck! He wanted to talk to her earlier after the robbery, but her fiery exit left him so speechless and shocked that he completely forgot about it! Now he has that chance to talk to her again!

However, he is taken aback when she throws her arms around him in an embrace and starts crying into his chest, making Goten retreat to his daddy's shoulders. This leaves the teen utterly confused, yet he accepts the hug and immediately tries to comfort the girl.

Goten is even more confused than Gohan. He recognizes her as the lady from the crime scene, but last time he checked, she was mad at his daddy! Why is she crying now? In order to get his answers, he pulls on Gohan's hair to get his attention. "Daddy, why is that Miss Satan girl crying? Wasn't she mad at you?"

Gohan immediately stiffens at Goten's question. He just basically gave away that he's Junjoubu! However luck seems to be on the demi-saiyan's side as it seems that Videl was so caught up in her crying to notice what he said.

"Goten," he whispers in a voice quiet enough for Videl not to hear him, yet loud enough that his son can pick it up with his sensitive hearing. "She doesn't know about me being Junjoubu so please be quiet about it! I don't even know why she's crying in the first place so let me ask her and find out okay?"

Normally Goten would question why he has to keep his daddy's super hero identity a secret, but the seriousness of Gohan's tone makes him just nod in reply. His daddy only uses that tone of voice when telling him extremely important instructions, so he doesn't question it this time.

After a few more minutes of crying, Videl finally pulls away from the teenaged demi-saiyan. Gohan puts a hand on both of her shoulders and looks down into her eyes with a gentle smile. "You feel better?" he asks her.

Videl looks away to the side, a slight blush staining her cheeks from embarrassment of how she reacted to the boy. She's just so relieved! Even though she believed Gohan to still be alive, when he never showed his face ever again in public she started to lose hope and was fearful that he might have been one of the finalists from the Intergalactic Tournament that got killed by the earthquake.

Seeing him alive in person though made her belief come true and her body was flooded with relief that he is alive and well. Little does she know that he actually did get killed that day, but was brought back with New Namek's dragonballs.

She didn't however expect to have such a strong reaction to the discovery. She just met him once at the Intergalactic Tournament! However, she realizes that despite the fact that they only met once, she really wanted to see him again. She was going to ask him if he would be her friend after the tournament, but with the earthquake canceling the tournament along with the fact that he was one of the finalists that could possibly be dead, she never got the opportunity to ask him. She's suddenly filled with happiness that she now has the opportunity.

…but first she has to answer his question. She forces herself to look him in the eyes and smiles. "Yeah… sorry about that."

Gohan just gives her a reassuring smile as he asks her the question he's been wondering about the whole time. "Do you mind telling me why you were so upset?"

Videl once again looks away. "I-I kinda thought you had died at the Intergalactic Tournament three years ago… They had said that two finalists had died and when I hadn't seen you in forever… I had assumed the worst… So when I ran into you, I realized that you were still alive... and I couldn't help but feel relieved. I'm actually really glad to see you." A light blush covers her cheeks as she says the last sentence.

Gohan is clearly shocked at that news. How did they know that two finalists had died at the tournament? Sure he and his dad did die at the tournament, but he had no clue that the public knew anything about it. Thankfully though it sounds like they didn't know exactly _who_ died otherwise he would be in serious trouble right now.

He still however is surprised by the reaction Videl gave him. They had only met once before in their lives. Why did she care so much that he's alive? Sure, he would expect her to be happy, but he never expected her to react so strongly…

As if he's a close friend of hers.

Not understanding what the two teens are talking about, Goten lightly tugs on Gohan's hair to get his attention. "Daddy, what is she talking about?" he asks, pure curiosity in his voice.

After hearing another voice, Videl looks up towards the source of the sound and notices the three year old sitting on Gohan's shoulders for the first time. Her eyes widen as she looks at him and sees that he looks exactly like one of her favorite martial artists, Goku Son.

But... did he just call Gohan... 'daddy?'

Obviously Gohan's not old enough to be able to have a kid that age. The kid looks to be at least four, making Gohan a mere 9-10 years old when he was conceived… yet he does look incredibly similar to Gohan as well. No, he must be his brother or cousin or something.

But then why does he call Gohan 'daddy?' She goes over the many possibilities. Gohan must be the main male role model in the chibi's life if he freely refers to him as his father, but if that's the case, then that means that his _actual_ father isn't around. That could mean only one of two things: the father had left shortly after he was born, or his father had died when the chibi was still either in his infancy or before he was even born.

Videl then concludes that the kid has to be Gohan's little brother. He just looks too much like Goku Son not to be his child, and as she thinks about the matter deeper still, she suddenly recalls that Gohan had told her that he had a younger sister almost a year younger than him, a younger brother who was three years younger, and another younger brother that was only a week old at the time.

But if that's true and he considers Gohan his dad, then what happened to their father?

Gohan, completely oblivious to Videl's inner thoughts answers the curious chibi. "Well Goten, about three years ago, there was a tournament that I participated in. Do you remember my story about the big green monster that I told you about?"

Goten thinks for a moment before he recalls a story that his daddy told him about the big green monster and a tournament. "Do you mean that Cell monster?"

Gohan shakes his head. "No the other one," Gohan replies. He now realizes how Goten could think that he was talking about Cell from what he said.

A look of understanding suddenly dawns the face of the newly turned three year old. "Oh, you mean that mean Bojack monster? Yeah, you said that he attacked you and the other finalists at the tournament and he did a lot of really bad things and that made you really mad and you became really strong and you ended up beating the Bojack monster! Is that what she's talking about?"

Gohan nods at his son. "Yep, that's the same tournament," he replies, causing Videl's eyes to widen. She thought that it was a deadly earthquake that affected the tournament. A _monster_ attacked them? "I met Videl at that tournament," he continues still oblivious to Videl's reaction.

Videl suddenly feels a headache come on. This is too much for her to take in. She first finds out that the person that she wanted to see for three years, yet thought was probably dead, is alive and well, then she learns his youngest brother thinks that he's his dad, and to top it all off she finds out that a monster of some kind ended up attacking the same tournament that it was said he died in, and not only did he survive, but he's the one who actually defeated it! She knew he was strong and that he's one of those mystery fighters from the Cell Games, but she still finds that hard to believe.

She wants answers and she wants them now!

"Hold on a minute!" Videl shouts, causing both Son boys to jump and turn their attention to the girl. "What are you talking about!? What monster?" She glares at the teen, demanding that he answer her question truthfully.

Gohan pales as he realizes that Videl never knew about Bojack. He now remembers that as far as the public knows, all of the destruction at the tournament was all from an extremely powerful earthquake. In a way they're right, but they didn't know that Gohan caused the earthquake when transforming into an ascended super saiyan and that he actually was fighting a ridiculously powerful space pirate and his gang of minions.

How's he going to explain that an alien attacked them?

Then again, he may have a believable way to. He gulps before he starts to explain the whole Bojack scenario. "W-well Videl…" he starts. "You remember how they said that we would be fighting against aliens from across the galaxy?" Videl gives him a confused nod, her eyes narrowing in suspicion not knowing where this is going. This makes Gohan internally gulp. "W-well… let's just say that they weren't lying…"

Comprehension dawns on Videl as she takes in what Gohan said. _Aliens_ attacked them? "So you're telling me that this Bojack monster that the little boy keeps talking about was an _alien?_ From _across the galaxy_?" she asks, keeping her eyes narrow.

"Y-yes…" Gohan replies. He looks at her and wonders if she believes him or not. By her expression though, he can tell that she didn't.

Great…

Now how's he going to go about explaining this? He really isn't lying to her, but the vast majority of the Earth's population doesn't believe in the existence of aliens. He figures that Videl is one of those people, especially considering who her father is.

Suddenly he gets an idea! He figures that he can get her to believe him if he can prove that aliens actually do exist and he has very solid proof. He quickly regains his composure and hopes that this works.

"Videl, do you remember the attack on East City nine years ago?" He asks her.

Videl thinks for a moment and then nods her head, wondering where this is going. "Yeah, the whole city was blown up! People said that…" she drifts off just now realizing why Gohan brought it up.

It was widely known that mere minutes before the city blew up that two strange spherical pods fell from the sky and crashed in the middle of the city. At first it was thought that they were satellites that fell from orbit, but then they opened up and two humanoids got out.

Aliens.

Gohan sees the understanding in Videl's expression and smiles. He can tell that she just figured out that he proved to her that aliens exist and that his story isn't so farfetched after all. He mentally lets out a breath at this.

"See Videl?" he starts, now a whole lot less nervous about the whole thing now that he can prove that Bojack was indeed an alien, "Aliens do exist, and Bojack was an extremely powerful one."

"Yeah, but daddy beat him!" Goten adds, pride filling his voice at how amazing his daddy is as he jumps off his shoulders and back into his arms. The little boy is now hanging from Gohan's neck.

While Videl figured that Gohan was the one who took out the alien, she still wants an explanation of how. She knows that Gohan is capable of becoming one of those golden fighters, but she also knows that if the alien was strong enough to generate an earthquake similar to what Cell was able to do that this alien is also extremely powerful as well. "Well, not that I don't believe you, but how on Earth were you able to defeat this alien when he could do stuff that Cell could do?"

Gohan already has his explanation for this question. He just hopes that Goten goes along with his story. The chibi knows that Gohan's the one who actually defeated Cell and that he let someone else take his credit, but normally Goten goes on and on about his accomplishments and how awesome he is.

The teen hopes that the chibi can hold his tongue for once.

"You remember how I fought Cell?" he starts. He figures that she put together that he was the 'delivery boy' from the Cell Games since she saw how good he was at the Intergalactic Tournament when she fought him and she also saw him transform when he fought Pan in the semifinals. "Well you weren't able to see the majority of my battle since the TV feed went out after I ascended… that thing I do with the golden hair." He explains further upon realizing she wouldn't know what he's talking about.

"But what happened is I fought Cell with everything I had," he continues. "Now I wasn't able to beat him, but with the help of my friends, I was able to weaken him considerably. That is what allowed your father to step in and finally finish him off." Gohan finishes her, praying to Dende that Goten won't try to correct him.

His prayers aren't answered. "But daddy, I thou–" Goten is suddenly cut off by Gohan's hand being slapped over his mouth. Gohan then subtlety makes a signal that only Goten can understand to tell him to stay quiet for now. The chibi is confused at why his daddy wants him quiet, but complies nonetheless, much to Gohan's relief.

Videl on the other hand is trying to comprehend exactly what Gohan had said. So her father actually _had_ defeated Cell? For some reason, this information doesn't make her happy. Instead she feels… disappointed? Was she actually expecting Gohan to say _he_ was the one who defeated the green android?

_He's lying._ She concludes silently. _I saw at the Intergalactic Tournament that those things that dad calls light tricks are real. I saw so with my own eyes, not to mention that when he and the other mystery fighters went at it in the semis every punch they seemed to throw had the force of a truck. Even if Cell was weakened I find it incredibly hard to believe that dad defeated him. Not only that, but he has been acting even more suspicious since the Intergalactic Tournament, becoming even more defensive when people question him. This just doesn't add up…_

Gohan, oblivious once again to her internal struggle, continues with his explanation. "Well that sort of happened with Bojack too, only instead of me weakening him and your father finishing him off, my father and my friends all weakened him and I was the one who finished him off."

Videl narrows her eyes at the demi-saiyan. She doesn't believe his explanation on what happened at the Cell Games one bit. She still doesn't think that her father defeated Cell and has a hunch that the true hero is actually standing in front of her.

She however decides to let it slide for now. If she gets her way, then she will be seeing a lot more of the demi-saiyan in the future, so she can just guilt the information out of him then.

She does find his story on how he defeated Bojack plausible. If that is the case though then he's a hero! He saved the world just like her father supposedly did and he deserves to be recognized for his accomplishment as well as those that helped. Realizing this, she gets excited for the demi-saiyan.

Perhaps he can finally get the recognition he deserves.

"Gohan, if this is true, then you're a hero!" she suddenly exclaims. "You should tell everyone! You could be almost as famous as my dad!"

Gohan internally gulps at the suggestion. He should have figured that she would want to tell everyone, but for some reason he felt he could trust her with the information. Surely now she will notify the press on what really happened. Not only will that give him tons of unwanted attention, but it will also notify the Z-gang on his whereabouts, and that is something he definitely doesn't want disclosed anytime soon.

However, perhaps he can get her to keep this a secret…

Gohan immediately rejects her notion. "Videl, if I wanted to tell the world about it, I would have done it already. I don't want the credit, just like I don't want credit in helping the defeat of Cell. Please don't tell anyone about what I just told you!" Gohan pleads with the girl.

The daughter of Mr. Satan raises an eyebrow at the teen demi-saiyan. Why doesn't he want to keep this a secret? Although she can understand that he doesn't want the constant media attention, she still thinks that he should get _some _recognition. After all, this would definitely end up clearing his name, along with the other mystery fighters at the Cell Games since this would prove that her father is lying about them being frauds.

Then again, would the world actually believe the story? When she first heard the story, she didn't believe it at all. Gohan had to go out of his way to explain to her what exactly happened. However, she figures that the fact that this all happened right after the whole Cell incident would help people believe.

Still, even if it got out in public that this actually did happen, her father could just play it off again like he has everything else, blaming everything on light tricks. To Videl, this notion is absurd and she really wonders how the people of Earth are so naïve to believe that explanation, but as of now, they do and her father has everyone wrapped around his pinky. They will believe anything he says, which is sad really.

She really wants to show the world who the true heroes are, but upon seeing Gohan's desperate plea, Videl internally decides that she will keep his story a secret. She figures that he must have some reasonable explanation to keep it a secret if he's willing to beg her not to tell anyone, so she will respect his wishes.

However, that doesn't mean she can't have some fun with the poor teen.

"I don't know Gohan, the world deserves to know the truth…" she finally answers, internally smirking as she sees Gohan's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

"Videl!" Gohan desperately pleads now. "Please don't say a word!"

Videl is giggling internally. This boy really must be shy if he doesn't want the world to know he's a hero. Outwardly however she smirks. "Wow, you really don't want everyone to know that you're a hero huh… alright I'll keep quiet on one condition."

Gohan sighs. He should have figured she'd want something in return. "What do you want Videl?"

The smirk that is on Videl's face turns to a genuine smile. "You have to promise to be my friend."

Gohan lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, much to Videl's amusement. He knows that he can do that. "Well I guess I have no choice, you have my word. I guess we're friends."

He was trying to go for the sarcastic reply, but he ends up smiling at the end of the statement, completely ruining the delivery. That's what he wanted anyways: to ask her to be his friend. He didn't know she had felt the same way.

"You bet we are." Videl replies. She's glad that she now made friends with the boy she fought in the prelims. "And I'll keep your stories a secret. I would ask you some more questions, but I have to get going home before my dad starts worrying about me, but I'm most definitely not through with you yet Gohan! You better come and visit again soon!"

"Haha aright Videl," Gohan replies, somewhat glad that he doesn't have to explain anything else right now. He has a feeling what questions she has, and that they most likely pertain to Goten and him calling him 'daddy.' Now that he knows that she wants to be friends with him, he doesn't mind telling her about his father's death, but he'd rather not explain it to her in front of Goten. He doesn't want Goten to know that he's not his actual father yet. "I'll drop by sometime soon. We can meet up and have lunch or something."

Videl smirks at the demi-saiyan's suggestion. "I'll hold you to that Gohan," she replies. She then suddenly realizes that she never introduced herself to Gohan's little brother. She walks up him and says in a sweet voice, "Hey there, I don't think we've met. What's your name?"

Not expecting to be addressed, Goten shies away from the girl, curling up a bit into Gohan's chest. "I'm Goten…" he replies softly.

Videl is amused by Goten's sudden shy attitude. He's so cute! Videl really loves little kids; she really can't help but think that they're all adorable, but she thinks Goten's especially cute, especially since he looks so much like Gohan. "Hi Goten, nice to meet you. I'm Videl. I have to leave now, but you stay out of trouble for your daddy okay?" she tells him. She figures that if Gohan hasn't corrected him in calling Gohan his dad, then she won't either. She'll let Gohan decide when to tell him.

Goten nods weakly and buries his head in Gohan's chest, causing said demi-saiyan to raise an eyebrow at his little boy's reaction. Goten's never been that shy. In fact, Gohan thought that the chibi demi-saiyan was one of the most outgoing kids he's ever seen so he's confused by his reaction to formally meeting Videl, but he keeps silent for now.

Videl smiles at Goten before bringing her eyes up to Gohan. "I'll see you later Gohan!" She waves before she starts running down the street in a hurry to get back home.

Gohan waves back at her with the one hand that's not supporting Goten while grinning. He's glad that she will keep his secret, but he's even more glad that he now has a friend his age.

* * *

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower~

Both demi-saiyans are on their way to The Lookout in order to see Dende and Piccolo with Goten riding on Gohan's back with his tail wrapped tightly around the chibi's waist to make sure he doesn't fall from his perch. The birthday boy has been relatively silent up to this point, a rare sight to Gohan as the chibi is usually very energetic and talkative, especially when he's going somewhere new and exciting.

Eventually though Goten's curiosity breaks the silence. "Daddy, why did you lie to Videl about the Cell monster?" Goten asks hesitantly. "I thought you said that it's bad to lie and to never do it."

Gohan sighs. He figured that this would eventually happen. Gohan figures that Goten was silent because he was thinking about what happened earlier when they ran into Videl. He contemplates what to tell the chibi and how to justify his lie. After all, he's emphasized how important it is to tell the truth and never lie about anything all of Goten's life. Truthfully, Gohan wonders if Goten would understand the concept even if he did give a legitimate reason for the lie simply because the chibi's brain is too young to be able to cognitively put things together logically yet.

But then he remembers what Goten had said earlier while walking to the crime scene about the bad guys going to jail and leaving their families. That is something that a normal three year old probably wouldn't be able to put together yet. He realizes that Goten, despite his young age, has cognitive function beyond his years, probably due to his mixed saiyan and human blood. After all, Gohan is a prime example of how smart a young demi-saiyan can be.

Despite the fact that he looks like a Goku clone, Goten seems to have a lot more mental potential than his biological father.

Gohan finally decides that he's going to give explaining his logic to Goten a shot. "Goten, do you remember what I told you about what happened after I beat Cell?"

Goten looks down at the eldest demi-saiyan as he answers. "You said that you were really hurt so you had to leave and then that Mr. Satan guy told everyone he beat Cell and when you found out you let him keep saying that."

"That's right Goten," Gohan responds. He knew that the chibi would know that right away since he has been telling him that story for the last three years as a bedtime story. "And do you remember why I let him keep saying that he beat Cell?"

"So that you could live a peaceful life with your son," the chibi answers once more.

"Good, it looks like you've been paying attention to my bedtime stories," Gohan replies, chuckling a bit.

"Of course I do!" Goten indignantly replies. "You tell the bestest bedtime stories!"

Gohan continues to chuckle. "I'm glad you think so squirt. But anyways, back to what we were talking about. If I told Videl that I was the one who beat Cell, then she will tell everyone that I beat Cell. If that happens, then everyone will give me attention all the time and I don't want that attention."

Goten tilts his head to the side a bit. "But why didn't you just tell her you beat him and then tell her to keep it a secret then like you did with the Bojack monster?"

_Dang. It looks like he definitely has those cognitive skills._ *sigh* "Well Goten, that situation is completely different. The world doesn't know that Bojack was actually around since I fought him away from everyone. Another thing is that Mr. Satan is Videl's daddy. If I told her that he's lying about beating Cell that would make her very sad and mad at her daddy. I think he should be the one to tell her the truth."

"But daddy, why does she have to find out from her daddy when she could have found out from you?" Goten is confused. Either way she's going to find out that his daddy beat Cell so why does it matter if it's his daddy or her daddy that tells her?

_Perhaps he still is too young._ Gohan ponders for a second. "It's complicated Goten," Gohan finally answers, diverting back to his scapegoat; Goten's age. "You'll understand in a few years. Just trust me when I say that what I did might not have been the best thing, but I was only thinking about what was best for Videl."

Goten lets out an exasperated sigh. "Okay daddy…" He pouts. "Why do I have to be so little?"

Gohan chuckles good-naturedly at Goten's comment. The expression on the chibi's face just adds to the demi-saiyan's amusement. His face is all crinkled up in a pouting expression that makes the kid look that much more adorable. "Hey cheer up squirt! You're already a year older today! After all, it is your birthday!"

Upon realizing this simple, yet significant fact, the birthday boy immediately perks up, a beaming smile on his face. "Yeah! I'm three today!"

"You sure are squirt," Gohan replies, glad he can make the chibi happy once again. He found the uncharacteristic silence a little out of place; he's glad to have his energetic, enthusiastic three year old back. In fact, the timing of it couldn't be better as Gohan lands on The Lookout at this particular time.

Gohan swings the chibi into his arms using his tail as he touches down on the white tiles of The Lookout, causing the chibi to giggle in amusement. Gohan then proceeds to look around for his sensei and best friend. At first he is surprised to see that neither of them are out and waiting to greet him but he then realizes that they probably didn't even know he was coming thanks to the ki inhibitors that he and Goten have on their wrists.

Goten, confused as to where everyone is, voices his concerns out loud. "Daddy?" the young boy asks, looking around the place in search to find someone. He thought his daddy was taking him to meet two of his friends at the top of the world; while he figures that they are most certainly at the top of the world since they basically flew upwards for a long time, there's nobody around! "Where is everyone? I thought you said I was going to meet some people."

The teenage demi-saiyan smiles as he looks towards the white temple that resides on the platform that looks over the world. "Well squirt, my guess is that they are in that big house over there since they didn't know that we were coming to see them." He then ruffles the little demi-saiyan's hair, making him giggle as he looks at him. Gohan grins at his son. "You wanna go in and say 'hi?'"

In response, Goten squeals in excitement. "YEAH!" he shouts enthusiastically. "I wanna meet your friends! They sound really awesome from your stories!"

Gohan chuckles at his boy's enthusiasm. "Well let's head inside then."

"That won't be necessary," a deep voice suddenly sounds from out of nowhere. Goten jumps in Gohan's arms at the voice as it sounds scary to the three year old, but the sound just makes Gohan grin wider. He knows that voice better than anyone's.

The voice of his sensei.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan enthusiastically shouts, sounding more like the chibi that the Namekian trained long ago than the fourteen year old dad that he has become. Soon enough, the tall Namekian makes his way out of the shadows of the building and makes his appearance.

Goten, forgetting his fears of the green man now that he knows that it's the guy his daddy talks about so much, jumps out of Gohan's arms and runs over to the Namekian in excitement. Gohan, seeing this, shakes his head at the chibi's energy before grinning once again and soon joining the toddler in his trek.

Piccolo on the other hand is quite surprised to see his gakusei. Wasn't he hiding from the Z-warriors for the last two and a half years? He knows that Gohan went through great lengths to make sure that he wasn't found if he has been able to stay hidden from him as long as he has.

The Namekian wonders what caused the sudden change of heart. Has he finally come to his senses and realized that everyone misses him dearly? Or is it something worse and he's here to ask for help against a new enemy or something? He knows that he definitely will have to talk to him about this later.

He then looks over his gakusei and sees just how much he's grown. Now Piccolo is a tall guy, but before, Gohan barely was tall enough to go up to his waist. Now Gohan could probably reach his chest if he stood next to him. He also notices that he grew out his hair again, and can't help but notice just how similar he would look to Raditz if he didn't have so much hair going over his forehead.

He definitely has grown up over the years.

Piccolo is also astounded by the appearance of Goten. The little baby that was barely a half a year old the last time he saw him is now running towards him looking almost like a smaller version of the chibi Goku that his father Piccolo Daimao fought so many years ago. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed the chibi demi-saiyan to be Goku from the past. He wonders how life has been for the chibi with just Gohan as company as well as the only one raising him, but judging from his excited greeting that he's getting from him, despite never meeting him before, Piccolo can't help but think that he's been in good hands.

He would admit that he's had some doubts about the whole thing. Piccolo feared that Gohan was far too young to be raising a demi-saiyan on his own–a belief he still holds to this day; however mature Gohan appears to be on the outside and no matter how mature he acts to everyone else he still is a child. He needs someone to raise him as well.

However, the wise Namekian can tell that despite all odds, Gohan has proved that he can handle raising Goten on his own… at least for the last two and a half years he has.

Piccolo is brought out of these thoughts by an extremely energetic chibi. "Wow! You're green!" Goten exclaims, causing Gohan to burst out into laughter. Out of all the things for Goten to say, the first thing he mentions is the Namekian's skin color.

Piccolo on the other hand scowls, a bit annoyed at being laughed at by his gakusei, but he admits to himself that it is somewhat funny.

"You must be Goten," Piccolo answers the chibi, ruffling the kid's hair in an attempt to drown out his student's laughter. Honestly it wasn't _that_ funny was it?

Goten looks at Piccolo with wide eyes, astonished. "You know who I am?"

Piccolo smirks at the chibi. "I've known you since you were a week old kid."

"Oh," is the chibi's simple reply. He then tilts his head to the side with his index finger on his chin. "Then how come I've never seen you before?"

This causes Gohan to stop laughing in his tracks. He's never told Goten that both of them are hiding from the Z-fighters. As far as he knows, they're all people that Gohan knew at one point and lost contact with. He doesn't know about the fact that he's technically a member of the Briefs family and that Gohan is technically his older brother. Eventually he'll reveal everything to Goten, but now is not the time; not when he's only three years old.

Gohan is about to speak for Piccolo when a new voice makes its presence known. "Piccolo, is everything al–Gohan?! Is that you?!"

The teenage demi-saiyan swivels around upon hearing a voice he didn't recognize, only to set his eyes on another Namekian. He's not too much shorter than himself and his eyes widen when he suddenly realizes who it is:

Dende

Gohan and Goten aren't the only ones who have grown over the years. The once pint-sized Namekian that was brought to Earth to take over Kami's role as Guardian of the Earth is now a good foot taller than he was three years ago. In fact, he has grown so much that Gohan didn't even recognize his voice! It has dropped a few octaves since the last time he heard it, yet it still holds the pure innocence and gentleness that the young Namekian is known for, unlike Piccolo's gruff tone.

"Dende, is that you?" Gohan asks, aweing at the transformation Dende has gone through. He then grins and runs over to the young Namekian and catches him in a brotherly embrace.

Dende is Gohan's closest friend. They went through a lot together on Namek long ago. Gohan actually saved Dende from being killed by Dodoria on Namek and ever since then they have been the best of friends. He's somewhat saddened by the fact that it's been so long since the last time he's seen him and he's already glad that he made the decision to at least let him and Piccolo back into his life at this time.

Goten, suddenly aware of the new presence, and seeing his daddy react to him in that fashion, wants to go over there and meet this new person as well. He's green just like the first guy, but he looks nicer.

However, he quickly reassures Piccolo that he's not forgotten. "I'll be right back! I gotta say hi to this new guy!" Goten quickly waves to Piccolo and rushes over to his daddy and the new green guy.

As soon as they break the embrace, both friends size each other up. Both have undergone some changes during their time apart and both are trying to take in their old friend. Finally Dende comments, "Man, you're still taller than me!"

"Haha yeah, I guess but not by that much." Gohan replies. "You've really grown Dende! I didn't even recognize you at first."

Dende is about to reply when a small orange blur runs up to him. "Hi!" Goten chirps energetically. "My name is Goten Son! This is my daddy!" He then excitedly points to Gohan.

The guardian of Earth chuckles good-naturedly at the little boy's antics. He really is adorable. "Ah, I thought I recognized you. I met you when you were really little, although I must say it's sad that we had to wait so long to meet again."

"Hey Goten," Gohan interjects, getting the chibi demi-saiyan to look right up at him curiously. "Why don't you go with Dende and have him show you around The Lookout for a little while. I'll catch up to you two in a bit, but first I have to discuss something very important with Mr. Piccolo over there," He continues as he gestures towards Piccolo.

Goten is hesitant about leaving his daddy for a moment, but eventually nods his head and grins. "Okay!" he quickly replies and then turns his attention to the current Guardian of Earth. "Mr. Dende sir, can we please see The Lookout?"

Dende smiles at the polite gesture. Apparently Gohan has been good at teaching his brother about politeness. "Of course Goten!" he responds enthusiastically. "Come with me and I'll show you around!"

As Dende leads Goten away from him, Gohan watches their retreating forms as Piccolo walks over towards Gohan.

"Gohan, I know that you didn't just come to visit," Piccolo states. As usual, the Namekian avoids beating around the bush. "Not with as persistent as you've been to stay hidden. What's on your mind kid?"

Gohan sighs. He knew that Piccolo would know that this isn't an ordinary visit. He's way too observant for that, not to mention he's known him for basically his whole life. He slowly faces the Namekian, all evidence of joy that he had earlier gone. Knowing that Piccolo would only get impatient if he tries to avoid the topic, he gets straight to the point.

After all, that's the reason he came here in the first place.

"Piccolo… I think I'm starting to hate my dad…"

The Namekian's eyes widen at that statement. He'll admit that Goku wasn't the most attentive parent over the years, but he also knows that Gohan looked up to the man like no other. Something must have seriously been eating at Gohan for the past couple of years in order for him to start hating the pure-hearted saiyan. The bond they had was something that the Namekian could only wish he had with Gohan.

"What makes you think that Gohan?" Piccolo asks, showing rare concern that he only shows to Gohan.

"Well…" Gohan starts. "It all started right after my mom died. That night, I had a nightmare about my dad's sacrifice that he made in order to save me from Bojack, and for the first time since my training in Other World, I started blaming myself again. It was so obvious that I could have prevented his death if only I would have been stronger, and the thing is that I _was_! I just was too afraid to bring it out.

"Then, I started feeling guilty every time I saw anyone that was close to my father… and the day after that nightmare was the first time I noticed it. Sure, everyone was trying their best to hide it, but I could see it in their eyes: the sadness that they had whenever they looked at me. I knew right then I was a reminder of the one that they cherished dearly and that every time they looked at me they could see the one who was responsible for my father's death.

"That's when I planned to run away." Gohan continues with his tale on why he went to such great lengths to stay hidden these past two and a half years. "I knew I had to get away to not only ease my own suffering, but everyone else's as well. But I couldn't just leave Goten without his big brother. Unfortunately he was too attached to me and me to him so I couldn't leave without him. Not only that, but I couldn't get over the fact that he would remind everyone of my dad even more than me for obvious reasons.

"Finally the conditions were right for me to make my move. I found out the secret to how these ki inhibitor wristbands could conceal ki while allowing the wearer to use their ki at will. I never told Bulma I figured it out, otherwise she would have known that I was undetectable and figured out a homing device before I could leave. With that extra time, I was able to figure out a way to make sure that she can't track me by it.

"With this plan in mind, I took Goten and slipped out in the middle of the night. The first night we stayed in one of the caves I used when we were preparing for the saiyans and camped out there with Goten until morning. That morning, we went into town and bought a capsule house with the money I received from my mom's medical malpractice case and settled in a remote area where none of the Z-fighters would ever find us.

"I thought that being by myself would help ease my burden since no one else has to suffer for my misdeed, and for a while, it was working just fine. With just Goten and I, it was like I was getting a fresh start on life. I had a chance to make things right by caring for Goten just as my father told me to.

"It was the return of the nightmares that brought everything cashing back down. At first it was just reliving my dad's death again and again, and then it turned into my mother's death. That was scarier than my dad's death. Unlike my dad, mom died of natural causes so I couldn't wish her back.

"That's when I started thinking about how my dad could've come back, but refused. I started having dreams about our conversation in Other World and his reasoning for staying in Other World and every time I kept reliving it his reasoning seemed less and less credible and it sounded more and more like an excuse to stay dead.

"Soon after that, I started resenting him. Sure, he died saving me, but he could definitely have come back. He may have died more than once, but he still could have been revived with the Namekian dragonballs. Heck! You guys already were on Planet Namek in order to revive him!"

Gohan takes a moment to calm himself down at this point. Retelling his thoughts and decisions to Piccolo has been making him angrier and angrier over time. He needs to keep his cool in order to finish this. Besides, it was recently found out that Goten can feel his emotions and the chibi might get worried if he feels his daddy in such an emotional state.

Piccolo patiently continues to wait for Gohan to continue his story. So far he has been listening silently to the teenager go on about his reasoning for hiding from everyone and he is seriously contemplating what he's going to say to help his gakusei.

Finally, Gohan regains enough of his sense to continue with his thoughts. "After that, I couldn't get what Vegeta told me about the bond that Saiyans have with their mate out of my head. He told me that when a saiyan dies, their mate becomes devastated beyond anything they ever knew; that breaking the bond feels like getting stabbed in the heart.

"That is why my mother was so depressed: my dad refused to come back. Sure it may have been the induced high blood pressure from her medications that actually killed her, but she was on those meds in the first place because my father was too selfish to come back to his family.

"That leads to how I feel about him today. I can't help it now but to blame him for mother's death. He is the main reason that this all happened. I really don't want to, but I feel that there is more and more evidence pointing to the fact that he stayed in Other World just so he could have another adventure.

"Can you believe that he told me to raise Goten? To be his father? Sure I know I might be mature for my age, but I was not even 12 years old at the time! He said that he thought I would make a better father than him, saying that he could tell by the way that I handled Pan and Goken when they were here, but now I think that was just crap! I think he was just trying to make an excuse to pass the responsibility on to me so he could stay and train!"

Once again, Gohan has to take a minute to calm himself down before he gets too angry. He takes a few deep breaths in and out and eventually calms himself down enough to continue. This will be his biggest case for resenting his father and he knows that he will have trouble keeping control, but he has to get it out.

"And you know what the worst part is?" He continues, already starting to anger again. "He _knew_ about how close Goten and I were so he knew that I would look after him like my own son rather than just a brother. That bastard knew that I would gladly take care of Goten, even though he didn't want to.

"What I want to know is _why_ he didn't want to?! Goten's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me! How could he _not_ want to raise him himself? Sure, I may have deserved not having him come back since I was the reason he gave his life up, but Goten definitely didn't deserve to not have his own father raise him! I-It just makes me _sick_ thinking about how he just abandoned him! That, Piccolo, is why I hate the man I unfortunately call my father!"

Despite all of his efforts, Gohan ends up getting so angry by the end of his rant that he transforms into a super saiyan without even realizing it. Piccolo is blown backwards from the sudden efflux of power since he couldn't even feel it coming due to the ki inhibitor in place on Gohan's person.

The Namekian actually is blown away both physically and mentally. His gakusei is suffering much more than he initially realized and the extent if it is incredibly shocking to the older Namekian.

In all honesty he never thought Gohan would take the blame this far. It seems to the Namekian that his initial self-blame is what started this whole mess, leading to thoughts about causing others his father was close to pain and the need to run away. This then lead to his reoccurring thoughts about his father and how he could have come back. This much he understands.

However, the Namekian wasn't aware that Goku had actually told Gohan that he should raise Goten since he would be a much better father than he would. With this new information, Piccolo now can understand how Gohan can feel the way he does about Goku and his parenting, or lack thereof. Indeed, like Gohan had told him, it sounds like Goku is more or less abandoning the tiny demi-saiyan, and with how close those two are, Gohan will not take that standing down.

Piccolo realizes that Gohan had come to him to help him ease this loathing of his father, but he seriously doesn't have a clue of how to do that at this moment with this new information. How is he going to convince the kid to forgive his father when he believes that he abandoned Goten?

The only way he figures he can do this is if he can somehow convince Gohan that he's not abandoning Goten, and to do that, he'll have to reshape his whole way of thinking about Goku's decision to stay in Other World and help him accept it. After all, before the death of his mother, he had accepted it and was alright with it. He somehow needs to get him back into that state of mind and it starts with ridding his self-guilt over his father's death.

Déjà vu.

One thing's for sure: this will definitely take a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dende is currently showing Goten around The Lookout giving him a grand tour. The chibi demi-saiyan seems very excited about seeing the huge building that is on top of the world. He has heard stories from his daddy about how gigantic it is and about how there are many very interesting rooms in it. He's heard all about the room that can transport you through time and even about a room in the palace that lets you spend a year inside while only a day passes on the outside! He really hopes that he'll be able to see these rooms!

Dende on the other hand has an ulterior motive. He knows that Gohan has been hiding himself extremely well–well enough to stay hidden from him, Guardian of the Earth! He wouldn't just show up out of the blue for no good reason, so when he had suggested that he show Goten around, he knew right away that the teen wanted to talk to his sensei in private, away from Goten. He figured that what they had to discuss was extremely important for him to come out of hiding and see them so he just let him talk it out with Piccolo. He knows that the older Namekian will tell him everything after Gohan and Goten leave anyways.

The young Guardian however can't help but wonder what they're discussing. Is it some type of new threat? But the Namekian reasons that that probably isn't the case since he didn't see anything suspicious on Earth. He may be new at this Guardian of the Earth thing, but he still doesn't miss much. No, this must be a more… personal matter.

What could be wrong that caused Gohan to suddenly show up after two and a half years of absence?

Goten meanwhile suddenly feels cold feeling wash over him. It's faint, but makes him shiver nonetheless. He's felt that before and it was when he had a bad dream. He remembers that he would feel the same thing from his daddy when he would wake up, yet he didn't understand why.

However, being the three year old he is, he quickly is distracted from the feeling when Dende shows him the kitchen. The young Namekian even tells him that Mr. Popo, the black genie guy, will make him a feast for when the tour is over. This makes the demi-saiyan even more anxious than he was previously and he urges Dende to quickly show him the rest of The Lookout, much to the Guardian's amusement.

However, a little bit further in the tour, Goten gets that cold feeling again, this time a bit stronger. He now remembers where he felt that before: when his daddy got mad at Videl. That was the only other time in his life when he felt this feeling that strong before and now he suddenly is worried about what is happening with his daddy. Is something wrong? Is that scary green man being mean to his daddy? There is so much that the demi-saiyan doesn't know, but he gets worried nonetheless.

He quickly asks Dende if he can go back to his daddy, but before Dende can reply to the chibi, he feels the strongest feeling of them all: it's so strong that he almost yells at Dende for asking him why he wants to go back to Gohan. The chibi has never felt anything so strong before and he never felt so…

angry...

Goten now is very worried about what is going on and why he suddenly feels so angry. He quickly turns around and sprints down the nearest hallway in the direction that he can feel Gohan. His daddy always knows how to make him feel better! However, the poor demi-saiyan soon gets lost in the maze of The Lookout and is now desperately trying to navigate his way back outside.

Dende meanwhile has no clue why Goten is acting so strangely. If something happened, he would have clearly felt it since he can sense ki, and he hasn't felt a single increase in ki yet. Suddenly though he remembers that he couldn't feel neither Gohan nor Goten for the past two and a half years and figures that they have some kind of ki blocker on.

That's when he feels a sudden increase in Piccolo's ki. It is up, as if he is preparing for a fight. He hasn't sensed his fellow Namekian's ki level this high since the Intergalactic Tournament three years ago and that's when he realizes that Gohan must have powered up. He quickens his pace to catch up to Goten and get outside as soon as possible to see what the heck is going on!

Back with Gohan and Piccolo, the teen demi-saiyan is still transformed in his super saiyan state. His teal eyes show rage that they haven't shown in years. He didn't know that talking about his father would bring out such strong emotions. He knew that he wasn't fond of his old man, but he never would have even thought that the resentment and dislike went this far. Now he's not sure if it was the right decision to come here so that he can just drag Piccolo into this.

Piccolo now has raised his ki to his normal battle strength just trying to stay standing with Gohan enraged. This is something that definitely will need to be worked out, but he needs to calm the demi-saiyan down. However, before he even has the chance to say anything to his gakusei, Gohan very suddenly regains control of himself and drops the transformation, panting exhaustively.

The older Namekian is clearly stunned. His gakusei was completely enraged just seconds ago and now all of a sudden he calms down? What is going on? How is that possible? Piccolo is able to ponder this for only a moment before he hears a terrified shout fill the air which most definitely catches his attention.

"Daddy!"

He turns around to find a terrified Goten sprinting towards the older demi-saiyan, desperately trying to get to him as fast as his little legs will let him. He sees Gohan quickly make his way to the chibi with open arms, eyes full of concern.

Piccolo blinks. His gakusei again amazes him with his ability to quickly adapt to the situation. He was just utterly exhausted from his outburst earlier and now all of the sudden he has plenty of energy to console Goten when he needs it.

Goten leaps into Gohan's outstretched arms, scared of what's going on. He's never felt this way in his entire life! He comes close to crying but Gohan's warm, calming ki signature that the chibi can feel through their bond is already doing wonders to quell his fears. The fact that his daddy is comforting him by running his hand through his hair and whispering reassurances is helping too and soon he starts to really relax.

His daddy's here.

Gohan on the other hand is confused. What happened on the tour of the palace that caused Goten to react like this? He really wants to go over to Dende and ask him what this is all about but right now his little boy needs him. He continues his comforting gestures while keeping a tight hold on Goten. It breaks his heart every time he sees his little boy scared, which is very seldom, especially during the day.

Finally, after a few silent minutes where Gohan continues to comfort Goten, the chibi finally falls asleep in Gohan's arms. There is a small frown on the tykes face, but he seems peaceful thankfully. Gohan smiles a relieved smile at that. After reassuring himself that his son will be fine, Gohan lifts his gaze back to The Lookout and realizes that Piccolo and Dende have been observing him this whole time, making a slight blush stain his cheeks. He didn't expect to turn that little scenario into a show.

"Well, I guess I should be leaving now guys," Gohan says quietly in order to not wake up the slumbering chibi in his arms. "Thanks for letting me get that out Piccolo. It really helped. I will be coming up to see you guys again very soon. Take care you two!"

"Gohan!" Piccolo exclaims, boldly, but not too loudly, stopping Gohan in his tracks as he was about to jump off of The Lookout. The teen turns to face the stoic Namekian, awaiting what he has to say. "Be careful kid. You take care of yourself. We'll start working on your… problems next time you come up."

Gohan smiles at his sensei and nods before turning around and jumping off of The Lookout, falling towards the Earth at a slow pace in order to not disturb his sleeping son.

Piccolo and Dende both watch Gohan leave The Lookout with a sense of awe. Dende can't believe that that kid–no man he amends–is the same little boy that saved him from that fat pink guy on Namek and kept him safe for the remainder of their time together. He seems so mature, so wise, so… grown up. He is somewhat sad for that since the demi-sayian is only fourteen, but at the same time, he can't help but be impressed with what he's done over the last two and a half years.

This makes his thoughts wonder back to what happened earlier. It's completely obvious that something happened to him earlier if Piccolo had his ki raised to a level that hasn't been used in years.

What happened to make that happen?

He figures that Gohan must have powered up, but he doesn't think that the teen demi-saiyan came up to the Lookout after all of these years just to have a spar. Something else must have triggered it, but the young Namek doesn't have a clue as to what it might have been.

Piccolo on the other hand continues to think about what just occurred. Gohan just told him that he hated his father, a concept that thought was impossible to take place. As Gohan explained his feelings more in depth however, he suddenly realized that his dislike isn't as farfetched as he originally thought.

Now, he doesn't think that Goku deserves the amount of resentment that Gohan showed, but the wise Namekian believes that Gohan has some legitimate concerns. Goku has proven in the past that he hasn't exactly been the most committed father, and what Gohan had said about Goku abandoning Goten really struck home with the Namekian. Suddenly Goku's decision doesn't seem as 'noble' as it did before. He can see how Gohan came to the conclusions that he did.

After putting all of this together, Piccolo isn't surprised anymore by Gohan's angry outburst of power. It's widely known among the Z-fighters that he inherited his mother's temper, and although it doesn't come nearly as easily and is only triggered by certain things, it's 10 times more explosive when it does occur. No, that's not what is throwing the Namekian for a loop:

It's how he was suddenly able to regain control.

Even thinking about it still baffles the old Namekian. Gohan has never shown control like that before, at least not when enraged like he was. What was it that made him revert back to his normal, calm demeanor so quickly and suddenly? At the time, he hadn't felt anything unusual about the situation only that about ten seconds later Goten had come out screaming. It was at that moment that it clicked.

It was Goten.

His realizes that somehow, Gohan was able to sense Goten's approach, despite the ki inhibitor, and, knowing that the little boy needed him, was able to completely snap out of his rage and compose himself just in time to calm the pint-sized demi-saiyan. It is absolutely incredible how he was able to switch from being absolutely livid with his father to calm and comforting to Goten.

He wonders just how close those two are. He knows it's more than just the normal sibling relationship. He didn't fail to notice Goten referring to Gohan as 'daddy' and he didn't fail to notice just how much Gohan cares for the tiny chibi. His impassioned rant about his father gave him enough for that.

However, the strength of the bond that is between them seems to be inconceivable! It is like that they can feel each other, even through the ki inhibitors!

This leads Piccolo to think back about the current predicament: Gohan's hatred towards his father. Seeing how deep the bond runs between the two demi-saiyans, he will be very hard pressed to try and resolve the notion that Goku stayed dead to abandon his second son. That will have to be the first step if Gohan is to ever forgive his father. He also sees a lot of self-resentment as well in his gakusei and realizes that if he is to forgive his father, he first will need to forgive himself.

"Dende," he calls out to his fellow Namekian. "We have some very important things to discuss. Sit down, this may take a while."

* * *

Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

ki- energy

sensei- teacher, master

gakusei- student


	5. Surprises

**A/N: Hey hey! Chapter 4 is here baby!**

**I really couldn't be having a better next couple of weeks. I'm getting a new car today and I am going to four concerts over the next two weeks!Not only that, but I only have to work three days these next two weeks as well thanks to vacations and the Fourth of July coming up. Yes, life is good at the moment. **

**A little bit about this chapter. There are multiple settings in this one, so pay close attention to the setting markers. Also, one of the sections has multiple different flashbacks. I would just like to clear up any possible confusion by saying that the events in the flashbacks happened in succession at the same place, which is why there's no setting marker for them. **

**I really hope you enjoy this next chapter. I really liked writing it. It is a set up for future chapters and two very important events for later on happen in this chapter.**

**Enough of me blabbering. On with the chapter!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 4: Surprises

~Dabura City Palace, Dabura City, Demon Realm, Underworld, Age 771~

The king of the demon realm is watching with slight annoyance as his best guards are getting killed off like nothing, by no none other than his son nonetheless. Of course he expected this: his son is the next strongest after him, but he never would have thought that it would have been this easy for him. Somehow his son has gotten substantially stronger.

And now he's very anxious to meet his son.

He watches his son destroy a few more of his soldiers without even breaking a sweat. His power increase is really stunning the king. Don't get him wrong, the king still would be able to put his son in his place no problem, but he finds it extremely odd how his son was able to gather so much power so quickly. If he is able to keep this rate of progress, he could become a serious threat, and sooner rather than later. He might have to be put down before that can take place.

It is then that he suddenly notices the cloaked figure that his following his son through all of the death and destruction that is taking place. He wonders who this person is that is traveling along with his son. He knows his son extremely well and he knows that he would never let just anyone travel with him since he basically is the only one strong enough to get through all of his guards with his life still intact, especially someone who is so scrawny and… weak.

Unlike everyone else of his people, the king knows how to sense ki levels, a reason why he got so powerful to begin with: he knew just how strong he needed to get in order to take over. He can feel the cloaked figure's ki and it is extremely low. How is it that his son even associates with this guy? It's a disgrace to the name Dabura!

It's then that he feels the difference in the figure's ki. While it isn't strong it definitely has a foreign quality to it almost… magical. He then notices that his son's ki feels the same way. He puts two and two together and figures out that the short, puny cloaked figure is controlling his son somehow.

Now he may not love his son, or even like him for that matter, but no one messes with his family and threatens to tarnish his name! This just became personal and now he really is anxious for his son to get here and send this cloaked figure to the only place in the universe more hellish than the demon world: Hell itself!

He subconsciously rubs the base of his chin, picking at his goatee with his fingers as he watches his son finish off the last of his guards. Yes, both his son and his soon to be ex-controller are fast approaching.

Meanwhile, said son of the Demon King is now bowing to the cloaked figure.

"Get up you worm!" The cloaked figure shouts at his subject and the Demon Prince immediately rises to his feet. Babidi is extremely pleased with how obedient and loyal his slave is to him. It must be due to the fact that there's so much evil in his heart to grab a hold of that his control of this figure will never slip. "Now lead me to your father so we can have him join us! Move!"

"Of course my master! Right away!" Dabura replies nervously, trying at all costs to avoid his master's wrath. For a little guy, Master Babidi can be extremely intimidating. With that in mind, he leads his master down the corridor towards the throne room.

As this is happening, another cloaked figure, this one much bigger than the other one is also making his way through the castle. He would have never been able to get in if he would have had to fight all of the guards like the Demon Prince did, so he had to wait until they were all finished off to get in. And luckily for him, the Demon King is paying so much attention to his son and the one who enslaved him that he doesn't even notice that another person is roaming his now wide open castle.

The taller cloaked man can't believe how powerful the Demon Prince is! This man is powerful in his own right, being able to hold his own against the great tyrant Frieza, yet this Demon Prince was able to take down not one, not two, but _dozens_ of guards that are about the same strength as him with little to no difficulty!

He doesn't remember the demon being so powerful; the last time he checked, the prince was barely any stronger than the guards he fought. Of course, he reasons that that is what is to be expected when dealing with the wizard that's controlling him.

Yes, this cloaked figure knows the runt well, or rather the runt's father. His master is the one who was able to kill of the tiny man's father, the evil wizard Bibidi, before he was able to release the monstrous djinn out into the universe once more 100 years ago. His master thought that that would be the end to all of this chaos and destruction that the wizard was able to create.

At the time his master figured that Bibidi was the only one capable of releasing the djinn, so instead of destroying the monster and risking accidentally setting it free, he just hid the monster's cocoon away where no native life form would ever be able to get at it. He did this knowing that the only way for the monster to get out of his prison is for the wizard that created him to complete the ritual of setting him free while gathering enough ki to power his gigantic power.

After checking the local life forms of the planet, he knew that, while collectively they would have more than enough ki to power the monster, each individual's ki was extremely low compared to most planets, so he was confident that if something was happening that he would notice way before enough power was gathered. Without the evil mastermind behind the crystal ball, his master knew the universe was saved from that evil ever arising again… only he didn't count on one thing:

Bibidi had a son.

It was only recently that he and his master found out about the abomination that is the evil wizard's son, Babidi. At first they were hoping that he was different than his father and that he wasn't evil like him, but they knew they were only fooling themselves. As they watched the wretched wizard go from planet to planet in search of his father's creation, they saw him destroy all life that was on the planets that he searched. They knew that they would have to step in before he got to the planet where the djinn was hidden, otherwise there would be a huge chance that he would be able to set the monster free.

They were however too late. Babidi found the planet before they could make their move. It was in their great fortune however that there were far greater powers on this planet than there was when his master checked it 100 years ago. He had hope that maybe, just maybe, one of these new powers could kill Babidi before he could release the djinn.

However Babidi realized this as well. While the powers on this planet weren't that extremely strong, he knew that if he were to come in contact with one of them he would stand no chance. Therefore the wizard did what the cloaked figure and his master would have never thought he would do:

He retreated from the planet.

At first the wizard's actions confused them like no other. What was he doing? Was he actually giving up? It was after they realized where he was heading though that they knew that he was far from giving up. The wizard headed straight for the nearest planet with strong life forms.

This confused both the cloaked figure and his master since each person on this planet probably had the power of Zarbon, which is far greater than the wizard's is. They knew that Babidi inherited his father's magical prowess, but they also knew that his attacking spells were only effective to beings much weaker than the ones that currently occupy this planet. That was when fear griped the two observers as they witnessed this wizard's new ability:

The ability to control minds.

Now Bibidi was a powerful wizard with some incredibly powerful spells; after all, he was the one who created the djinn that terrorized the universe for such a long time. However, Bibidi had never shown the ability to actually take over someone's mind and make a slave out of them like Babidi, and to the cloaked figure and his master's horror, he seemed incredibly good at it.

At first, the subject would resist and fight, but eventually they would succumb to the wizard's spell. What shocked them both so much though was how obedient he was able to make them. They would throw their lives away if the wizard commanded them to. It also became apparent that this ability had another aspect that was quite unexpected.

Babidi showed that not only is he able to make extremely obedient slaves out of his subjects, but he also is able to make them much more powerful as well. It seems that while taking over the subject's mind Babidi is able to release their full potential ki. Not only that, but the cloaked figure and his master also observed that it allowed them to control their ki, even if the subject had no knowledge of ki control before in their lives.

This obviously became a great worry to the two figures. While the people he was controlling at the time didn't even come close to the new powers they found on the planet with the djinn, they saw what the wizard was doing. He was going from planet to planet, gathering stronger slaves for his army to eventually attack. They were getting very worried.

However, that all changed four years ago when they caught a glimpse of an absolutely incredible power coming from the planet that the djinn was on.

At first they were both worried that the djinn may have been released; even not at its full power its ki is incredible and it would be impossible to stop. However, when they checked the planet, they only found a boy that looked to be no older than eleven fighting another life form with a huge ki level, and this development stunned both of them.

How is it possible for such a powerful boy to exist?

They followed the battle and watched the boy not only defeat, but absolutely pummel the green grasshopper-like creature into a pulp. The cloaked figure remembers that he was actually worried at the time that this chibi could be a bigger threat to the universe than Babidi. The way he looked at the life form he was fighting showed absolute hatred and rage, a fatal combination. When he threatened to kill his father, that only confirmed his fears that they may have to stop this power.

The cloaked figure was about to intervene but was held back by his master. Unlike himself, his master could sense something else in the boy that he didn't: the fact that deep down, the boy had a heart as pure as gold.

That's when it showed. He watched at the boy fell out of his rage and defeated his opponent. He then felt this boy's ki and saw what his master did. He knew at that moment that this boy wasn't going to destroy the universe. No.

He was going to save it.

After witnessing the boy's incredible power, they knew that the planet was in very capable hands and that there would be no warrior out there that Babidi could find that could even come close to this boy's power.

At least not in this realm…

Unfortunately the power was so vast that it even traveled to the darkest part of the northern quadrant of the universe where Babidi just got his most recent and most powerful servant yet: a monster named Yakon whose home planet was drenched in eternal darkness. The evil wizard cursed, knowing that he needed to get even more powerful minions in order to take out this new threat. And so, for the last four years, Babidi has been trying to find the secret to get to the only place that it would be possible to find a subject strong enough: the Demon Realm. The cloaked figure and his master saw Babidi go into hiding and relaxed a bit, thinking that the wizard finally saw how hopeless his plot was.

Oh how wrong they were.

It was only recently when they found out that not only was Babidi able to create a gateway to the Demon Realm, but he was able to overtake the prince of the demons, with plans get King Dabura himself under control.

That is why the cloaked figure is here. He plans to stop Babidi before that can happen.

"_Kibito, you have to hurry!" _his master suddenly contacts him telepathically, sounding very urgent. _"We can't let Babidi control King Dabura! At his current level, he would probably be defeated by the boy, but he's already more powerful than that life form the boy was fighting four years ago! Who knows what kind of power he will have under Babidi's spell?_ _Please hurry Kibito! Time is of the essence!"_

"_Right away my master!" _Kibito replies, now sprinting down the corridor to the throne room. He really needs to make sure that Babidi can't take control of the Demon King. He knows how powerful the boy is from four years ago, but he also knows how dangerously powerful King Dabura is as well. This will definitely be a huge factor in deciding the fate of the universe.

* * *

~Capsule Corporation, West City, Planet Earth~

Bulma sighs as she enters her home from being out all day. The blue haired genius seems incredibly dejected for some reason as she enters into her much larger than average living room. She plops herself down on one of her many incredibly comfortable chairs with a huff as she thinks back on her day.

Another fruitless search.

Bulma spent all day searching for her two adopted children; the same children that she swore with her life to protect; the same children that she loves as much as her own biological child; the same children that lost their mother the same day she lost her best friend.

Ever since the fateful day two and a half years ago, the blue haired genius has been asking herself the same question: Why did they have to run away? She knew that Gohan was in a depressed state, but what twelve year old wouldn't be when their mother had just died? She thought he was just taking her death incredibly hard; however, he seemed to be coming out of it more and more every day.

At least that's what she thought.

Bulma puts her palm to her face as she slowly shakes her head. During the days leading up to the fateful day where the demi-saiyan left with his little brother he had seemed happier, more at ease. Of course the most that she saw of him was either when they were working on the ki inhibitors or when she would secretly watch him take care of Goten.

At those times he seemed to be at his best. When he was working on the ki inhibitors he was always working with a fierce determination that she only saw from him. He always seemed to be focused on his task at hand, which also meant that he wasn't focused on his mother's death. There were times while they were working on the project when he would figure something out and would show that famous Son grin his dad was always known for, which had been a rarity after his mother died.

Dende has she missed seeing that grin…

When he was taking care of Goten was when he was truly in his element though. She would often spy on little moments between them, as he had refused to take her help with raising him. At first it was just to see if he was truly capable of taking care of the tiny demi-saiyan. After all, despite the fact that he was incredibly mature for his age, he still was only eleven, turning twelve at the time. However, when she saw how truly happy he was in the infant's presence she started to spy on them just to see him happy.

At that point, he wasn't really getting around the place much. He would always hide himself away from everyone when they would have a get together. She remembers that at his twelfth birthday party he only greeted everyone, ate his meal, blew out his birthday candles on his cake, opened his presents and thanked everyone before leaving, making the excuse that he need to check on his brother.

Even when he was doing all of that, he had on a fake smile–however convincing he might have been to everyone else she could tell his smile was fake; after all she had been exposed to the Son grin for longer than anyone. While everyone else had gone on with the party, she quietly made her way out of the room and followed Gohan. When she peaked into Goten's room, she was shocked at what she saw.

Gohan had Goten seated on the floor in front of him and was watching him with anticipation. He had his arms open and was softly encouraging the tiny demi-saiyan to 'come to daddy.' At first she was shocked that Gohan was calling himself Goten's daddy, but she was in for even more of a shock when she saw young Goten get a determined look on his tiny face and slump forward on his little hands and knees…

And crawl to Gohan!

Goten was learning how to crawl!

As the infant demi-saiyan made his way towards Gohan, Bulma observed how proud Gohan looked. He took great pride in how fast Goten was learning. When Goten finally made to the eldest demi-saiyan, Gohan had exclaimed "good job Goten!" and hugged the little guy close, all the while stating his praises to the little chibi and stating how proud he was of him. In that moment, she saw what she thought she would never see again at that point.

Gohan's smile.

It was sad really: the only time he was truly happy was when he was with Goten. However, that little scene gave her hope. She believed that eventually, Goten would bring Gohan out of his depression and that he would return to the ever happy, ever cheerful Gohan Son that she knew and loved before all of this happened.

This is why she stopped trying to force her helping hand with Goten; from what she saw, Gohan, despite his age, was more than capable of taking good care of the demi-saiyan and she figured that if given enough time alone with him, that he would become whole again.

As Bulma is thinking back on what happened in the past, her son Trunks walks into the room. He was going to watch some TV, but notices his mother sitting in one of the chairs looking to be deep in thought. He is surprised to see her since she had told him that she was going out to search for his brothers.

The lavender haired demi-sayian indeed knows that he has two other brothers, brothers that his mother had adopted after their mother had died. He however knows very little about them, only knowing their names are Gohan and Goten and what days their respective birthdays are. His mother however tells him that he used to be very close to his older brother Gohan, saying that his name was even his very first word! He really wants them to come home so that he can meet them.

Which is why he is very interested to see his mom. He wants to know how her search went. Did she find them? Was she able to convince them to come home? He knows that despite the fact that they are technically her responsibility that she would never force them to come home against their will. His mother is too kind hearted for that, plus from what she has told him about Gohan, he would be able to survive just fine on his own.

He quickly makes his way over to his mother so he can ask her his question. "Hey mom!" He enthusiastically greets her.

Her son's greeting snaps the blue haired genius out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, hey sweetie," she greets her son, smiling while reaching down and giving him a hug.

As the hug breaks, Trunks looks up to his mom and asks her what he's been dying to know: "So, did you find them mom?"

Bulma's smile fades as her son asks that question. She actually had a great lead today as to where they might have been; she was so excited when she saw a news story on the afternoon news broadcast about two children eating so much food at a buffet in Satan City that the owner ended chasing them out of it. It was a rather comical story, but she immediately knew that the only children that were capable of getting kicked out of a buffet for eating too much were Gohan and Trunks, and even though she had never seen him eat since he was still too young at the time, she figures Goten could as well.

Suddenly it had made sense to her that Gohan would run off to Satan City; none of the Z-fighters want anything to do with the place since everyone there has made a God complex out of Hercule Satan. It would be the perfect place for Gohan to go if he never wanted to get found.

So that's where Bulma went. She took her fastest Jet Copter and flew to Satan City. Even though it was the next nearest city, she also knows how elusive Gohan can be so she wanted to get there as fast as possible in order to maximize her chances to run into him. She then looked all over to the place, starting with the buffet that the two had gotten kicked out of.

She had asked the buffet owner what direction they went. While the guy was obviously angry about the situation, he had pointed her in the right direction. She quickly thanked the man and ran off in the same direction.

She then went around and asked people if they had recently seen the two. Unfortunately, no one was really that helpful and she was left to search around the place where they were last seen.

That's when she ran into Videl.

She had asked the girl the same thing that she had been asking everyone else: if she had seen two kids, one around 15 years old and the other around 3, both with wild spiky black hair and dark onyx colored eyes.

At first Videl was shocked to see this woman looking so frantically for her new friend and his brother. Of course she had just seen them and could probably easily tell this woman where they were, or at least point her in their general direction, but the young crime fighter didn't know the woman's intentions. What did she want with Gohan and Goten? She didn't know if she could trust this woman, so in order to find out her intentions yet not give away that she knew not only who she was talking about but where they might be, she asked why she was frantically searching for them.

"I'm their mother and I lost them in the city!" is what Bulma had replied to the raven haired child of Hercule.

That's when Videl figured that the blue haired genius was probably up to no good. The crime fighter knows that this lady can't be Gohan's mother: not only does neither Gohan nor Goten look anything like her, but she also knew that their father was Goku Son, who was married to Chichi Gyumao. Not only that, but she could definitely tell that Chichi was Gohan's mother since he definitely shares some of her physical characteristics. After concluding that Bulma was lying, she gives her answer.

"I'm sorry, but I've never seen them."

The raven haired teen watched as Bulma's face dropped after hearing that. The blue haired beauty had really thought that this girl had seen them and got her hopes up. She quickly thanked the girl for her time and left down the street with hopes that she might run into the two demi-saiyans.

And she didn't…

She looked all over the city, including fifty miles on the outskirts for her adopted sons and couldn't find a trail or trace of them. After hours of searching she figured that they had fled the city in anticipation of her search. She also figured that they probably changed locations as well since they would expect her to search for them there from now on as well. Sighing part in frustration part in disappointment, she dejectedly went home.

Trunks notices the smile on his mom's face fade so he knows the answer to his question without her needed to verbalize it. He loses his enthusiasm for a moment before perking up again and asking her another question. "Hey, are we still celebrating Goten's birthday today?"

Bulma perks up tad at her son's question. Every year since the two Son boys have been gone, Bulma, along with Trunks and even Vegeta one year, have celebrated both Gohan's and Goten's respective birthdays, even though neither demi-saiyan was present; she (or rather her mother) makes a birthday cake, along with the appropriate amount of candles and they sing "Happy Birthday," where Trunks blows out the candles in honor of whoever they are celebrating. Bulma also gets both of them a present. The blue haired scientist came up with this idea in order to convey the message that they may be missing, but are certainly not forgotten.

"Of course we are Trunks," Bulma answers in a lighter tone. "Grandma already baked the cake so we just need to light the candles and sing 'Happy Birthday' and then we can eat it."

Trunks grins and pumps his fist in the air. "Alright!" He then rushes to the kitchen to get ready to celebrate. Bulma smiles at her son's antics, which changes to a sad smile as she remembers the little boy that they are celebrating tonight.

_Where ever you guys are… Gohan… Goten… I hope you're happy and safe. Happy Birthday Goten…_

* * *

~987 South District~

Gohan is running his hand through his little chibi's hair as he watches him sleep. It's been six hours since he and Goten left the Lookout and he is finally ready to call it a day. He glances out the window and sees that the sky is pitch black. He knows it's a cloudy night but for some reason he doesn't remember it being that dark a few minutes earlier. He blinks and the next minute, the sky is a bit brighter, yet still dark. The demi-saiyan just plays it off as a trick of the light.

Gohan returns his gaze back to the sleeping form of his son, his pride and joy. He smiles as he sees the content smile on the little boy's face. He thinks back to how the day went after they got home. At first he was worried about his son due to his reaction on the Lookout…

**Gohan touches down with a sleeping Goten right in front of their house. He frowns as he thinks back to how his time on the Lookout ended. Goten had come running out of the palace as scared as can be, which is very concerning to the demi-saiyan. The chibi is hardly scared by anything. **

**Gohan wonders what could have scared his little boy so badly that it would evoke such a reaction. He wonders if something happened on his little 'tour' of the palace on the Lookout. But then again, he was with Dende the entire time and he knows that his best friend wouldn't lead Goten anywhere where he would get scared. He figures that he will just have to ask him once the chibi wakes up.**

**After a few minutes, Goten starts to stir in Gohan's arms and his eyes start to slowly flutter open. He is a bit curious as to why his daddy is holding him, but he finds the position he's in comfortable nonetheless. He snuggles a bit into his daddy's chest and slowly rubs the sleep out of his eyes with his tiny fists while letting out a huge yawn. Once he wide enough awake, he looks up at his daddy and smiles. "Hey daddy," he greets sleepily.**

**Gohan can't help but smile down at his little boy. He's so adorable when he's just waking up. "Hey squirt." He replies.**

**Goten looks around and notices that they are suddenly back at home. "We're home?" he asks, curious as to what happened. Last thing he remembers is being comforted by his daddy at the Lookout. How did they get home?**

**The teenage demi-saiyan chuckles lightly at the little one's question. "Yep, I flew us home a little bit ago. You seemed like you needed your rest so I thought it best to head back home." Gohan then frowns a tad and his eyes turn concerned. "You seemed pretty upset earlier squirt. Why was that?" **

**Goten bites his bottom lip as he looks up at his daddy. "Well I was on the tour of the huge house with Mr. Dende and I started to feel really cold and mad. I didn't know why I was feeling that way and that made me scared so I tried to find you."**

Thinking back on the memory, Gohan knew right away after that that the problem wasn't with what went on with Goten and Dende, but him. The teenager is no fool; he knows the special connection he has with his son and he knows that Goten was feeling his hatred and anger towards his father. He realized that it was his fault that his precious chibi was so scared today, and on his birthday no less! Deep feelings of guilt initially passed through him at this discovery but they all were melted away by Goten's amazingly strong love towards him.

**Gohan really feels ashamed of himself. He knew that if he lost his temper that it would affect Goten, yet he had to lose it anyways! He absolutely hates it when Goten becomes scared or sad and the fact that **_**he's**_** the one who caused him to feel that way makes it hurt tenfold.**

**Goten meanwhile reaches up and hugs his daddy around the neck. This surprises Gohan since he was so deep in thought about how he was actually the cause of Goten's scare that he forgot that he was still holding the chibi. He immediately hugs Goten back, although he feels that he doesn't really deserve it. **

**As soon as Goten lets go, he beams up at his daddy, continuing where he left off. "I felt like I was about to cry, but then I found you and you made me feel better like you always do! I didn't feel scared anymore and you made me feel safe. Thank you, daddy, for always being here for me."**

**Gohan's eyes widen for a second as he processes what Goten had said. While focusing on how he was the one who caused Goten to be scared, he completely forgot that he also helped calm the chibi down. He knows that little children are the most honest beings in the universe, especially Goten, so he knows that what he confessed was genuine. Knowing that Goten really loves him and appreciates him for doing his job as his daddy causes his insides to melt at his sweetness.**

**The chibi may not know it, but he just helped Gohan get over his guilt about the situation without even trying.**

**He smiles down at his Goten and hugs him again. He knows that as long as his little boy loves him everything will turn out alright. "You're quite welcome squirt," he replies, a little teary eyed. "And I will continue to be there for you Goten. Remember that. I love you son."**

**Goten can feel the warmth radiating off of his daddy through their bond and it makes him feel happy. He always relishes his daddy's hugs since they feel extra nice. "l love you too daddy."**

It's amazing to Gohan how Goten can make him feel so happy and warm. He fondly remembers the rest of the day. After that touching moment between dad and son, Gohan had made him a birthday dinner to remember. Goten had offered to help and the teenage demi-saiyan didn't have the heart to say no. He shakes his head as he recalls that he had to go through preparations three separate times because of Goten's 'helping,' but he loved every minute of it since he got to spend time with his son throughout the whole ordeal.

After they chowed down the meal, Gohan decided that it was time to give Goten his gifts. He chuckles as he recalls the chibi's initial reaction to one of them.

**Goten is in the living room of their capsule house eagerly awaiting his daddy to bring him his presents. His daddy always gets him the best presents! **

**After a few minutes, Gohan walks into the room carrying four elegantly wrapped boxes. He places the gifts on the floor and gives Goten the signal that it is alright to start opening them. Goten doesn't hesitate to comply, rapidly tearing at the wrapping paper around the first gift, which appears to be a long box of some sort. **

**Goten looks at his daddy curiously, wondering what it's supposed to be. Gohan smiles warmly at his son and tells him to open the box. Goten nods and carefully opens the box and raises an eyebrow at what he sees. **

"**You got me clothes?" he asks his daddy incredulously. He pulls out the article of clothing from the box and holds it up for Gohan to see. It's a yellow kimono top with long green sleeves, red lacing and a white circle in a red outline with the kanji for 'Son' in the middle of it; it's a little worn, but otherwise in great condition. Still inside the box are the matching green bottoms to the outfit. **

**Gohan chuckles at the reaction. He figured that he would react like this, so he quickly explains the reasoning behind the outfit. "Those aren't just any clothes Goten, those clothes have a very special meaning to them."**

**This catches the boy's attention and now his eyes are filled with pure curiosity. "What is it daddy?"**

"**Those clothes, the very same ones that you are holding and have in front of you, are the very same clothes that I got for my third birthday. I had some very good memories in those clothes. I loved those clothes dearly because they were made from scratch from my mother, and now… they're yours." Gohan had to try very hard to hold back tears as he explained this to Goten. The memory of his mother, even after all of these years, is still very traumatic due to the way she died. **

**Goten's eyes widen upon hearing that. These clothes are apparently very important to his daddy! He had no idea that pieces of cloth could mean so much to him and now he gave them to him! He really is an amazing daddy!**

"**Thank you daddy!" Goten exclaims, running over to hug Gohan. He is genuinely happy with the gift and he wants to show him just how much they mean to him! "I'll put them on right away!" The chibi quickly leaves the room, forgetting about his other gifts as he rushes to put on his new clothes. **

Gohan smiles at the memory as he looks down at his son once again. He had to admit that the kid looked good in the clothes; he would go as far as to say that Goten looked even more adorable than he did at that age in them. He proudly wore the outfit for the rest of the day.

The rest of the gifts went over well for the chibi as well: a variety of toys that he had modified to make 'saiyan-proof.' He was somewhat relieved that Goten was occupied with all of them so he could make the little guy's birthday cake by himself (although he did let the chibi lick the bowl). The teen demi-saiyan was able to get a saiyan sized cake baked in a surprisingly quick amount of time and both of them enjoyed it greatly.

"… **Happy birthday to Goten, Happy birthday to you!" Gohan finishes his song. "Now make a wish and blow out your candles." **

**Goten closes his eyes and thinks really hard for a wish. The chibi is about to wish for a whole bunch of sweets when he suddenly remembers how his daddy's been having a lot of bad dreams recently. Of course he's never heard about any of them, but the chibi can tell when he wakes up in the middle of the night. It makes him sad every time his daddy's sad. That's when he thinks up the perfect wish:**

_**I wish that my daddy didn't have bad dreams anymore.**_

**After he makes his wish, the chibi smiles and opens his eyes to blow out the candles on the cake, which he does easily. **

"**What'd you wish for Goten?" Gohan asks, curious as to what his three year old would be expecting. Secretly, he's hoping that if it's possible he can get him whatever he wished for.**

"**Uh-uh Daddy!" Goten quickly replies. "Doncha' know the rules? I can't tell ya otherwise it won't come true!"**

**Gohan internally is disappointed, but he just shakes his head and smiles at the chibi demi-saiyan. "I guess I forgot about that. Now how about we have some of this cake."**

"**Yeah!" Goten responds eager to start eating. Gohan, noticing his son's impatience, quickly takes a knife and slices Goten a generous piece of cake, which Goten quickly goes to work on. Gohan can't help but chuckle at the chibi's antics; he didn't even have the time to pick up a fork and is chowing down on the cake with just his hands. He decides that this is the year that he will be teaching Goten about table manners, but as of right now, he doesn't mind. He'll just have to give the chibi a bath later. **

"**How does it taste squirt?" Gohan asks, knowing the answer already from how the chibi is eating.**

"**Great dad!" Goten replies with his mouth full, spitting chunks of chocolate cake everywhere. He has the decency to swallow before continuing. "You should have some! Here!" He then takes a handful of cake and throws it at Gohan, making it splatter all over the poor teen's face. Goten then bursts out laughing at his daddy.**

**Gohan may have quick reflexes, but he wasn't expecting **_**that**_**! While annoyed that he now has to clean up the kitchen (once again), he looks at how happy his son is and can't help but laugh as well. He knows that Goten did that only to be funny and while he doesn't want to encourage this kind of behavior, he remembers his childhood and how at this point his mother had already drilled in his head everything that has to do with table manners. He also remembers how he really didn't get to act like a little kid when he had the chance, so he figures that just this once, especially since its Goten's birthday, he'll let this type of behavior slide. **

**Heck! Maybe he'll even have a little fun himself.**

**As Goten continues to laugh, Gohan grabs a handful of cake and throws it right back at Goten, where it hits him right in the face with a big splat! This stops the chibi's laughs in its tracks as his mouth is filled with chocolaty goodness. He immediately starts coughing, spitting chocolate goo everywhere before he comes to his senses and realizes that he has cake in his mouth, which he quickly devours. As soon as he's done with that, he glares at his daddy, who is now laughing his head off. His glare however quickly turns into a smirk. **

**This means war! **

**The chibi quickly grabs some more cake and throws it at his daddy, and with that, the Great Chocolate Cake War of 771 commences!**

Gohan chuckles softly, remembering that war. By the end of it, only about a fourth if the cake was actually eaten; the rest was on the walls, cabinets, counters, tables, chairs, and everything else in the kitchen. It was a good time and Goten didn't mind helping his daddy clean up everything. With their saiyan speed, the kitchen was spotless in less than two hours!

They then both took a bath where Gohan pretended to be a shark and 'eat' Goten while the chibi would try his best to 'run away,' but the poor demi-saiyan would always end up his daddy's 'lunch'. Lots of laughs and water later, both demi-saiyans were squeaky clean themselves and by that time, Goten was getting really sleepy.

That's when Gohan took his newly three year old son to the rocking chair in front of the window with a view of the ocean in the little tyke's room. The teenaged demi-saiyan then proceeded to tell Goten the rest of his tale about "the boy and his battle with the great oozaru." It's the story of his training in Other World where he was able to conquer his saiyan side. Of course he's telling Goten a more 'kid friendly' version of what happened, just like with all of his stories about his many adventures, but they still hold what really happened nonetheless.

Gohan was particularly ruthless with his cliffhanger tonight as he left off right where the boy hero fired his biggest Kamehameha at the dark crystal, not telling the chibi about how it turned out. This made Goten huff in frustration, trying to tell his daddy that he's not tired yet so he can hear what happened; however, at that particular moment, his body betrayed him as he let out a huge yawn, giving away how tired he actually was. Eventually, the chibi stopped protesting and let his daddy tuck him in. He fell asleep within a minute of his head hitting the pillow.

Gohan eventually leaves his son's room and retreats to his own. Goten obviously had a great day. This fact makes Gohan smile as he lies down in his bed and covers himself up. He has to admit, he had an awesome day as well. Goten is a big bundle of energy and he wouldn't change a thing about him.

As Gohan closes his eyes, he falls asleep rather quickly, and for the first time in two years, he doesn't have any nightmares that plague his dreams.

* * *

~Pilaf's Castle, Mushroom Forest, Diablo Dessert, Mount Paoz ~

21 years!

That's how long it took Emperor Pilaf to rebuild his precious castle after that boy Goku destroyed it! Yes, the blue emperor remembers very well how that boy with unbelievable strength was able to destroy his castle so long ago.

He turned into a giant ape!

He still can't believe how it happened! He had him along with that long haired desert bandit, that floating cat, that wish stealing, shape-shifting pig, and that horribly vulgar bluenette teenager trapped in his 'sun room.' The sun was going to cook them like no tomorrow the next day! He was about to get them out of his hair forever!

That's when it happened. To this day, he still has no clue how, but somehow, Goku transformed into a gigantic ape, at least 50 stories tall. The emperor had to watch from his escape plane along with his two lackeys as his palace that his father had his slaves build was destroyed by the rampaging monkey!

Finally though, last year he was able to finish rebuilding the palace and now it's more high tech than ever. One of the new features that the crafty emperor added to it is a control room with a built in dragon radar.

He got the idea when raiding the remnants of the old Red Ribbon Army base of operations. As he was going through all of the rooms looking for parts to rebuild his castle, he came across the radar that the Red Ribbon Army used to track the dragon balls. It was like finding gold on the other side of the rainbow with the leprechaun away on vacation!

The insightful emperor took apart the device and found it to be a very technologically complicated thing to replicate. Of course he had a guy for that and after calling him in and threatening his life if he didn't comply, the guy was able to make a blueprint of the radar and build it into the castle.

Now he has his two loyal lackeys, Mai and Shu, out on the hunt for the seven magical balls that can grant any wish. They have been searching for them for the last year and are so close! They have six of the dragon balls and are currently in the approximate location of the seventh.

After looking for the first dragon ball, they found that the radar can only locate the dragon ball within a mile radius. This means that it could be anywhere within a mile of the point on the radar, making it a still very tedious task to find the magical orbs.

"Sire!" a voice rings out through the control room, the very same control room with the dragon radar and the very same room that Emperor Pilaf is currently standing. An anthropomorphic dog wearing a blue outfit comes running into the room with a woman with long black hair and blue eyes wearing dull teal trench coat trailing behind him. Both people look well aged, perhaps in their fifties. "We have the final dragon ball!"

"Yeah, we went through a lot of work for this one too," The woman now speaks, presenting the orange sphere to the emperor. "It was at the bottom of the ocean and we found it in an underwater cave! It nearly collapsed on us as we were leaving but we got it!"

The small blue emperor smirks as he hears this. "Excellent! You both have done well! No let's get the other balls and summon the dragon outside. We don't want to have to rebuild the castle again."

"Sire, if I may say something," the dog asks.

Pilaf glares at his lackey, growling as he looks down his servant. "This better be good Shu."

*gulp* "Well don't you remember what happened last time the dragon was summoned? The sky suddenly got really dark, so don't you think we should wait until nightfall to summon the dragon? You know, to avoid suspicion?"

The blue emperor thinks over his lackey's idea and deems it a reasonable suggestion. Of course he can't let him take credit for it though. "I have a better idea. Let's wait 'til nightfall to summon the dragon to avoid suspicion."

Both Mai and Shu sweat drop at their master's antics. However, as soon as he glares at them both, they both smile nervously and praise the emperor for the great idea, even if it wasn't his own while wondering how they both could be so pathetic as to let him boss them around.

And so, the three members of the Pilaf gang wait until later that night to summon the dragon. To add to their fortune, it is a nice, cloudy night, making it that much easier to avoid suspicion.

"At last! The time has come for me to get my wish!" Emperor Pilaf cries, very anxious to be able to get his wish. It was 22 years ago that his plot to rule the world was tarnished by that perverted pig. He's waited so long for this moment and now it's finally here! "Now, ARISE SHENRON!"

At that moment, the seven dragon balls start glowing in a pulsating rhythm. The dark cloudy sky then suddenly turns a bit darker and the dragon balls start glowing really brightly. Finally, a bright light shoots out of the seven glowing spheres with a huge bang and the light continues to grow in width and length as it continues to twist around in the sky. After a few moments, the light solidifies into a solid form of a gigantic green dragon with red eyes. It's certainly a sight to see.

"You, who have summoned the eternal dragon, I will grant you any two wishes within my power!" Shenron announces in his booming voice.

"Wait, did he just say two wishes?!" Shu immediately shouts. "That's amazing! I wonder what we could get with the second wish! Perhaps the world's biggest dog treat!"

"No, that would be stupid Shu!" Mai retorts. "We should definitely get a giant mall where I can finally get new clothes."

"Oh I got one!" Shu counters. "We should definitely get a brand new park where I can roam around freely with my friends!"

"Oh come off it Shu!" Mai shouts at her comrade. "You know you don't have any friends other than–"

"I WISH BOTH OF YOU WOULD SHUT UP FOR TEN SECONDS SO I CAN THINK!" Pilaf finally cries, fed up with his lackeys' stupid argument.

The dragon however heard what Pilaf said. "So be it!" Shenron booms. All three members of the Pilaf gang's eyes turn to the size of dinner plates as the dragon's eyes glow red as he grants the first wish. Suddenly, Mai and Shu find that they can't say a word!

The eternal dragon really granted _that_ wish?

"Your wish has been granted." The eternal dragon confirms. "Now state your second wish so that I may return to my slumber."

Pilaf is still stunned that the eternal dragon granted a wish that called for his lackeys to shut up. Now he's only down to one. Well… he supposes it's very fortunate that there are now two wishes.

Ten seconds pass and Mai and Shu find their voices once more. Shu is the first to speak again. "I can't believe that you just wished for that sire!"

Pilaf growls and turns towards Shu, giving the dog a death glare. "I wouldn't have even said that if you two boneheads wouldn't have been making such a racket with your stupid ideas for wishes! I swear the next thing you would have said is that we wish the moon back so that you could howl at it!"

Both Pilaf and Shu are too distracted by the scolding that Pilaf is dishing out, but Mai's face pales after she heard what the tiny blue emperor stated in his rage.

The dragon's voice quiets the emperor's shouting. "So be it!" Now it's both Pilaf's and Shu's turn for their faces to pale as the dragon's eyes glow red and the moon is re-established in its rightful place in the sky once more.

* * *

Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

ki- energy


	6. Acquisitions & Revelations

**A/N: Hey hey! This is a very important chapter, but as always, there are a few things I would like to say about it.**

**First: There is a fighting scene in this chapter. If there is one thing I would like feedback on, it is my fighting scenes. I am not a martial arts enthusiast by any means and therefore am not great at describing specific moves and strategies when it comes to fighting. As such, my fight scenes are not in that great of detail. Now if anyone has a problem with this, I can always try and revamp my fight scenes a bit more in the future, but they probably won't get much more detailed. I apologize in advance for this, but my expertise (in case you haven't noticed) comes in hr art of describing emotions and feelings, not fighting.**

**Now this doesn't mean that there won't be fights or battles: there will (this chapter actually is a HUGE precursor to one). In fact, I have a lot planned for the rest of the story once we start into the second half. All this means is that the fights themselves won't be as in depth as some other stories. They still will be a significant part of the story though and will have significant meaning (like in Legacy Through Courage). After all, this is DBZ.**

**Second: After the first scene, there is a rather large time-skip. This is pointed out within the chapter as well as the setting marker for the scene. I just would everyone to keep that in mind since the nature of the rest of the chapter would be rather 'sticky' without that knowledge. **

**Third: This actually is something about this story in general. I would like to give a gigantic amount of gratitude to Ky111 for reviewing the past two chapters since you are the only one to do so. Reviews are really what keeps me motivated to write, and for the past month I really haven't had much motivation to write, which is putting my time schedule in serious jeopardy. If it was for him though I probably wouldn't have found the inspiration that I just got today, so once again, thanks so much.**

**With that out of the way, lets get this chapter started shall we?**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 5: Acquisitions & Revelations

~King Dabura's Throne Room, Dabura City Palace, Dabura City, Demon Realm, Underworld, Age 771~

Prince Dabura enters the throne room of King Dabura's palace nervous of what is about to take place; he knows that Master Babidi is going to try and take control of his father's soul, giving him the most important piece of the puzzle in Majin Buu's resurrection.

However, he has no clue what is going to happen to him. He knows that despite the major power up that he received once Babidi used his magic on him that his father is still stronger than him; if Babidi succeeds in bringing him under control, then that makes the Prince of the demons suddenly disposable: he may be killed for not being strong enough down the road. Meanwhile, if his father is able to resist going under the evil wizard's spell, then he will most likely get killed on the spot for bringing him here in the first place.

Either way, he's, for the lack of a better term, screwed.

Babidi however can sense that his control on his slave is starting to slip as his fears are mounting. Well that just can't happen, so he finds the rather large supply of evil in the Demon Prince's heart and gives it a magical tug, much like a choke chain on a dog, and he gets the desired effect. Immediately he regains control of his slave and he pushes ahead into the throne room where the Demon King is eagerly awaiting his audience.

King Dabura rubs his chin as his son and his controller enter the room. Being so close to him, the King can sense his son's ki much more clearly and can tell just how much he has improved. He is genuinely interested in seeing how he made such an improvement over such a short time period before he kills him along with the cloaked midget.

"Dabura," The king says in a deceivingly calm voice. "What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon after your last debacle, though I can tell by the way you took out my guards that you're much stronger than before."

Prince Dabura bows before his father respectfully as he answers. "Yes father, thanks to Master Babidi here I was able to gain strength past my previous limitations."

King Dabura raises an eyebrow at his son's statement before narrowing them. "Is that so? You're improvement is all due to the imp standing next you?"

"I'm not an imp you moron, I'm a wizard!" Babidi suddenly shouts out. How _dare_ he insult the great wizard Babidi, king or not.

Immediately after that declaration, the King of the demons sends a death glare at the small wizard, holding a ki blast out in front of him. "I'd watch what I say if I were you..."

Babidi however isn't the least bit intimidated by the king. "Then you'd be a coward! Do you honestly think that that ki blast frightens me?"

"It should," the demon king retorts, his voice low. "I can sense your ki level and this blast has enough power to vaporize you ten times over."

Babidi smirks at the king. "Do it! Fire the blast at me and see what happens."

The king scowls at the tiny wizard and he does exactly what Babidi told him to. He fires the ki blast straight at the wizard, but before it has time to reach him, it is deflected harmlessly to the side by Prince Dabura, who quickly moves in front of his master and into the path of the ki blast. It may have had enough power to destroy his master, but that was just child's play to him.

King Dabura's eyebrow twitches at his son's action, as Babidi gives King Dabura an evil grin from behind his slave. "Dabura, what do you think you're doing?!"

Prince Dabura scowls at his father defiantly standing in front of his master to protect him. "Nobody threatens Master Babidi around me and gets away with it, not even you father!"

With that declaration, the demon prince gets ready for battle with his father and powers up to his fullest. He might die here, but at least he will die an honorable death protecting his master. A pale red aura springs around Prince Dabura as he lets off a pained scream, his already giant muscles get even bigger as they are flooded with ki; his veins start to become apparent as all of the energy flowing through his blood is increasing the pressure on his blood vessels to the point where they become apparent on his skin.

Finally after a few moments of this, the Demon Prince reaches his full potential and calms his aura to a much steadier state. His ki level levels off at about the same level as Perfect Cell when he first fought Gohan four years ago. He smirks at his father.

"This is the true depth of my power father! Don't think you'll be able to beat me so easily this time!" the prince of the demons declares boldly.

King Dabura's eyes widen when he feels his son's ki level for a moment before he quickly hides his shock. He just can't believe how strong his son has gotten! He knew he was more powerful, but he couldn't even sense _this_ power! Now his son is almost as strong as him!

At first he has no clue how his son got this kind of power, but then he remembers that his son mentioned that this 'wizard' that he brought with him was responsible for his power up. This 'wizard,' the same figure with a puny body and a sorry excuse for a ki level, was able to bring out this power from his son?

He suddenly remembers how his son's ki had a magical quality to it and concludes that his son must have been telling the truth. But if he could bring out such a substantial power increase in his son, the Demon King wonders one thing:

Can he do the same thing to him?

As soon as the Demon King entertains the thought of having the wizard bring out more of his power he dismisses it. He sees what his son has become: a slave. Sure, he may be much stronger physically, but he's not the one in control, shown by how he selflessly defended his master when the king attacked him. No, he's a slave, and quite an obedient one at that, destined to do his master's bidding. King Dabura wouldn't doubt that his pathetic excuse for a son would die for his master if he told him to.

This is the reason that the Demon King will refuse help from the wizard to become stronger. Sure, he may become more powerful than everyone in the universe, but at what cost? He will most certainly not be in control of that power, Babidi will. He would turn into a soulless slave just as his son has.

If there is one thing that King Dabura loves more than power, it is control. Dabura loves the way that he can rule with an iron fist; he loves the way that everyone has to serve his every whim without question. Just like every ruthless tyrant, King Dabura would do anything to stay in control.

That's why he has to kill his son. He already has earned himself a death sentence by bringing a trespasser into the castle, but now not only has he disgraced his name, but he also is standing against him and has become a legitimate threat to him as well. He cannot afford to let his son out of this battle alive!

The Demon King starts powering up himself with a sustained shout. Just like his son a pale red aura springs around his form as he gathers his ki. The winds start to increase as the demon is generating so much outward force that it displaces the air molecules around him. As his ki continues to increase, his muscles grow as well. Eventually, his ki levels off at a level just that below the level of Bojack when he was at his full power and his aura steadies around him.

If you were to compare the father and son to each other, you could definitely tell which one of them is superior based on outward appearance alone. While the Demon Prince has veins bulging out of his arms, the Demon King just has larger muscles; this shows that his body is used to this amount of ki output unlike his sons who's body shows that he is struggling to maintain the ki inside of him. The prince is also showing outward signs of agitation and stress, communicating to an experienced fighter that he is exerting a great amount of effort to just hold that level, whereas the king, although not completely calm, is much more comfortable in his body.

It is indeed true that Prince Dabura is struggling to maintain his power; if not for his master's continuous feed of ki from his magical bond he would have dropped off already. However, the ki output is so great that Babidi can only supply enough ki for about 2 hours so if he wants to beat his father, Prince Dabura knows that he will have to do it within that timeframe.

Knowing he can't waste any time, Prince Dabura charges his father and the battle commences. He starts off with a feign left punch, using the momentum to spin around and return with a corkscrew left kick which strikes his father's raised shin. The blow has tons of power behind it and sends a sonic boom as it connects. It's so strong that the king's guard is almost broken, but he is able to hold off the blow from hitting his mark, albeit with lots of effort.

Since the King was able to block his son's initial attack so with so much success, he is able to counter right away, using his free right arm to send a devastating punch to his son's exposed left side, wisely using the momentum that his son had already built up to improve damage output. The blow connects with a booming crack and the demon prince is sent flying into one of the walls of the throne room made out of the hardest rock in the universe. The rock doesn't budge an inch, but the demon king is pleased to hear more bones breaking as his son crashes into the wall. That's gotta hurt!

The demon prince now has several broken ribs and a ruptured kidney from that blow; he winces in pain only for a second until Babidi's magic does its work and his bones start to heal themselves. He then charges his father once more.

The king, not expecting his son to recover so quickly, is caught completely off guard by his son's counter and is unable to block his son's uppercut to his jaw, sending the king flying backwards as he wasn't expecting that kind of power from him either. His son continues to press his advantage over his father and throws his father a painful combo of punches and kicks that the king has never seen before. He ends up taking the full brunt of the combo and now it's his turn to go flying into one of the indestructible walls of the throne room. His back hits the wall with a sickening crash, the wall not giving in at all, meaning that the king's body took the full impact of the blow.

Babidi smirks as he watches the demon king slide down the wall, only to get up mere seconds later and go charging back into the fight. _This is too good to be true! _He internally cheers. _He definitely has enough power to take out that saiyan! Once I control him he will be unstoppable and I will finally be able to release Buu! Now! It's time for the spell!_

Babidi closes his eyes and concentrates his mind on the Demon King's heart. _Oh yes! There's so much evil in his heart! How spectacular!_ He then uses his magic to mentally make a chain and wrap it around the vast amount of evil in the kings heart. _Almost there! _

"Para pa–"

"Not so fast!" a deep voice shouts, cutting off Babidi's spell. The evil wizard scowls and turns his head to the one who dare interrupt his spell and comes face to face… or rather face to knee with a red skinned man of tall, built stature. His cloak has since been discarded and now he dons a very elegant looking red kimono top with long blue sleeves and pants; he wears yellow boots and has an orange sash tied around his waist with a long end that hangs down the front of his outfit. The man also dons a pair of simple, yet elegant baby blue earrings. His hair is white, smooth, and long, going all the way down his back and stopping at his waist. He has a face that is as red as the demons that are fighting, yet it completely obvious that he is not a demon at all; his face is lined with many wrinkles, showing his age, yet despite that he still looks to be in peak condition; finally, his eyes are a dark onyx color, and are currently glaring down at the wizard who is trying to take control of the demon king.

Babidi looks up to the man's face and his scowl deepens. "How'd you get here?" Babidi asks incredulously. It is obvious that he doesn't like this man at all.

"You know very well I would never tell you that, just like you would never tell me how you were able to use your magic to create a portal to this plane!" The man replies calmly.

"Grr…" Babidi grows. He was so close! He was about to take over the King of the Demons and _he _had show up! However, Babidi has an idea of how he can still regain control of the situation. He just has to evoke a reaction out of the large man.

The wizard puts on an evil smirk and turns his back to the red skinned man, facing the fight between father and son once more. "No matter Kibito, I will still control King Dabura. You will not be able to stop me!" He then closes his eyes and pretends to start his spell.

Kibito is baffled at Babidi. Does he honestly think that he can do his spell with him standing here? Oh no, not with _him_ standing here. The wizard may not know it, but his master has been studying that particular spell and has figured out a counter curse to it. Kibito was able to learn this counter curse as well and he knows that it is able to block off whatever effect the spell has.

Of course the counter curse has one weakness: it takes his full concentration. If he is distracted, he will not have enough magical power to counter such a powerful spell. However, he can't take the risk that Babidi will take control of the demon king, and the demon prince seems to have his hands full with his father. With these thoughts in mind, Kibito closes his eyes and focuses his power to counter that of Babidi's.

The tiny wizard's smirk widens as he senses Kibito get ready for the counter curse. Of course he knew about that little counter curse! He felt it a while ago when he was still in the normal plane. That was the only time his spell wasn't able to work and he almost lost his life because of it! Babidi is too cunning to fall for the same trick twice!

In order to avoid suspicion, Babidi carries out the first steps of his ritual, focusing his magic on the demon king's heart. He grins when he can feel the effects of the counter curse already blocking his access, but that exactly what he wants. Instead of trying to access the king's heart, Babidi diverts his magic to his loyal servant, and gives him a magical tug, forcing himself into the demon prince's mind.

"_Dabura!" _Babidi shouts telepathically to his servant, causing his head shoot up. He's currently slumped against the wall after another vicious exchange with his father waiting for his wounds to heal from the magic. So far he has been able to hold his own against his father thanks to the magical healing powers. His father doesn't have the same advantage so he knows that his blows are really taking a toll on the king's body. He however is shocked to find that his master is talking to him telepathically, but doesn't question it and gives him his full attention. _"Dabura, I need to distract Kibito for me while I take over your father! I can't do it with him muttering his stupid counter curse! Go! NOW!"_

Prince Dabura immediately gets up from his slumped position. He had no clue that Kibito was even here! He was so focused on his father that he must have completely missed the red man's entrance. Nonetheless, he knows what he has to do and charges the elegantly dressed man.

Kibito is confused! He swears he felt the evil wizard's push against King Dabura's heart for a moment and thought the counter curse was working. But he then suddenly felt Babidi's spell pull away and that confuses him. What is that little imp planning? He opens his eyes to search him out only to be met face to face with the Demon Prince, who is now charging him.

Kibito quickly makes his way out of the demon's path and now finds himself on the defensive against the demon. The Demon Prince is vastly superior power wise, but the red man has centuries of experience on the prince of the demons, allowing him to hold his own by being able to anticipate the his attacks well in advance.

After a minute of long winding combat, the demon prince is finally able to floor the white haired man. There is only so much experience can do for you when the power difference is this great. As he is making an effort to get up, he hears an ear piercing scream make its way through the throne room. Both he and the demon prince turn their head towards the sound and Kibito's face pales as he sees exactly what is happening:

The worst case scenario.

The demon king is currently kneeling on the ground, screaming his lungs out. He is obviously in pain as he is clutching his head by his black horns with his eyes clenched shut in agony. He starts shaking his head furiously as he continues to scream, but it all seems to be in vain. Much to Kibito's horror, he can see a cursive "M" start to carve its way into the demon king's forehead.

He's too late!

How could he let this happen!? The whole reason he came here was to prevent this very event from happening! His master had faith that he would be able to successfully preform the counter curse and prevent the demon king from being possessed by the evil wizard.

He's too late…

He failed…

Knowing that there's absolutely nothing he can do at this point to prevent the inevitable, he prepares to depart from the Demon Realm. Babidi is too focused on his spell and the demon prince is too focused on the scene that's unfolding to see what he's about to do. Very quickly, Kibito gathers his ki and teleports himself out of the dimension completely and back to his home to report to his master about his failed mission.

Babidi meanwhile completes his ritual of controlling his newest minion: the Demon King himself. Said king has finally stopped screaming and is now under Babidi's control. The wizard has also released an unbelievable amount of power from the king as well; his ki now rivals that of Gohan's super saiyan 2 form when he fought Bojack!

The first thing the demon king does is bow to his new master. Prince Dabura quickly follows, making Babidi grin. With these two he is now unstoppable.

"Alright you morons, get up!" Babidi commands his two minions harshly. Immediately both of them make their way to their feet and stand at attention, waiting for orders like obedient robots. "Our next destination is Earth, where Buu lies dormant. I command you to make your way back to the ship. It should take approximately two years to get there and that's when we will strike!"

With his orders given, the two slaves of Babidi simultaneously respond with a "Yes master Babidi!" before making their way back to the ship.

* * *

~987 South District, Age 772~

A year and a half has passed since Goten's third birthday. A lot of time has passed, with a few significant events that have taken place.

Gohan had made a commitment after his first visit to the Lookout in two and a half years to make the trip one a week to work on his 'problems' with his sensei as well as spar and train with him while visiting Dende as well. After a long process of Gohan explaining his reasoning to Piccolo, both he and Dende had (rather reluctantly) agreed to not disclose that they are both seeing Gohan to any of the other Z-gang members, especially Bulma.

Since he is an only parent, Gohan brings Goten with him every time despite his fears that he might make the chibi upset once again with his anger. Luckily, despite some times of anger, he so far hasn't heard a word from the chibi about weird feelings of intense emotion.

Gohan doesn't know whether to be relieved by this fact or worried. On one hand, it could mean that he is doing a good job of containing his anger and finding a more healthy outlet, but on the other hand, it could also mean that Goten has just gotten used to the feeling as well, which Gohan certainly doesn't want: no child should be accustomed to feeling pain and sadness.

Goten usually goes off with Dende to do various activities while Gohan trains and works his feelings out with Piccolo. Eventually Gohan will join the two and the three of them will play a game as a group of three while Piccolo meditates on the edge of the Lookout.

There have been times where Goten has pleaded for the older Namekian to play with them, but while Piccolo isn't harsh with the chibi, he doesn't show near the amount of affection for Goten as he does for Gohan; they just don't have the same connection. Usually this ends with an immediate rejection from Piccolo, but after Goten goes to his daddy about it, Gohan usually is able to coerce the Namekian to join, much to the amusement of Dende and delight of Goten.

So far, Gohan hasn't made much progress in forgiving himself, much to the frustration of Piccolo. The Namekian has tried many different approaches in trying to get Gohan to let go of the regret; he tried meditation, talking it out, and negative ki draining techniques just to name a few methods, but while they might all have a temporary effect of relief, none of them usually last until the next day due to persistent nightmares on Gohan's part.

Piccolo has often times tried to use his technique that he taught Gohan about getting rid of persistent nightmares in order to quell the effect of them, but like the other techniques, the effect is only temporary; it's only a matter of minutes until another nightmare takes the place of the one he just got rid of. He still has no clue how the kid can have so many nightmares or how the nightmares keep coming back despite the fact that the technique he uses is supposed to permanently remove the nightmare from the bearer's subconscious.

However, if there's one thing that the Namekian found that is a constant source of happiness in Gohan's life, it is his brother, who even he is having a hard time remembering is his brother as he continues to see Gohan take the role as Goten's dad. The Namekian is starting to realize just how strong the bond between the two of them actually is; whenever Goten is happy, Gohan is happy; whenever Goten upset, Gohan is ready to comfort. He is starting to see that the bond goes further than the normal fraternal or even paternal relationship.

This knowledge is quite baffling to the Namekian, yet at the same time it gives him hope. He is starting to think that the key to Gohan achieving inner peace is the chibi demi-saiyan. He will somehow have to bring Goten into the discussion, although he knows that it will definitely be a challenge with how protective Gohan is with the small boy.

The Lookout isn't the only place Gohan has been visiting with frequency. He also has been visiting Satan City every time he gets the opportunity to meet up with his new friend Videl. Over the past year and a half the two have become very close. From the first time they met up after the incident on Goten's birthday the two have hit it off. For some reason, their friendship just seemed so natural: something about the two of them clicked. Now they are the best of friends.

Gohan usually visits Satan City by himself while Goten is napping. This means that he only has a limited amount of time before he needs to get back to his little boy (usually an hour and a half) before he wakes up. Gohan made a little device in his lab that shows him whenever Goten is about to wake up by measuring brain wave patterns; as soon as it goes off, he has approximately 30 seconds until the chibi wakes up. Gohan in this time is usually able to finish what he is doing with Videl and instant transmission home using the ki he can feel from his son through their bond.

Sometimes though, Gohan brings Goten along with him to see Videl. Despite his shyness at first, Goten has really warmed up to the daughter of the world's greatest fraud. He suddenly started asking Gohan when the next time he will be able to visit the teenage girl would be. He really is starting to enjoy the girl's attention, since when he's there she really likes to play with him. This has led Gohan to bring Goten with him to Satan City more often over the last few months.

Videl now knows almost everything about Gohan, but not by the demi-saiyan's choice. The daughter of Hercule was very persistent with her questions, and although Gohan was able to hide everything for the majority of the time, it was only recently that she found out his biggest secrets.

It started with the first time they met up after the incident on Goten's birthday. Videl had immediately went to town on Gohan and asked him about what happened to his father in order for his youngest brother to be calling him daddy.

At first, Gohan was confused. What did she mean by 'youngest' brother? Goten's his _only_ brother. However, Gohan quickly remembered that he told her that Goken and Pan were also his siblings back at the Intergalactic Tournament. He suddenly found himself with something else to explain in the future: why his other two 'siblings' are suddenly gone, but he wanted to hold off that explanation as long as possible.

So Gohan ended up telling her about how his father died to save him from Bojack and how that gave him the motivation and determination to finally kill the monster once and for all. He skipped over all of the details about his torture of Bojack as well as the fact that he died that day only to get brought back a month later. He also left out the fact that he blames himself for his father's death as well as the fact that he actually despises the man he called his father.

He then went on to tell her that because of his father's death, he had to take over as the father figure in Goten's life. The demi-saiyan left out the fact that his mother died two and a half years ago as well as the fact that he has been raising the chibi on his own and that he's living by himself.

That seemed to satisfy the girl for that visit as at that point, Gohan's monitor went off saying that Goten was waking up from his nap. That also marked the first time Videl ever witnessed instantaneous movement as Gohan had to Instant Transmission back home since he lives 500 miles away.

Over the next few visits, Gohan found himself opening up more and more to the girl. It was during this this time that he revealed himself as Junjoubu, the other defender of justice in Satan City. At first Videl didn't believe him, laughing like crazy saying that Junjoubu was much taller than him and sounded much different. However, all it took was for Gohan to press the button on his watch and transform into his alternate identity to turn her into a believer.

That's when the questions started. How did he get the uniform? How is it able to make him appear older? Why did he even need a disguise at all? Gohan had answered the first two questions truthfully, but the third was another story. He didn't want to tell her about the fact that he's hiding from the Z-gang so he told her that he just didn't want the glory, which was true in itself. Gohan hates all the attention Videl and her father get, and he explained to her that he would hate to have everyone following him around. Videl accepted this explanation fully, knowing what it's like to be the center of attention, and promised not to reveal his secret like she had originally planned, much to Gohan's immense relief.

She then started asking him how he was able to fight so well against the criminals as well as how he was able to beat her so easily at the Intergalactic tournament. Gohan was actually very eager to answer her inquiry and he started explaining to her the secret behind his powers (minus the fact that he's half saiyan) which was ki manipulation, or what her father calls 'cheap tricks;' he explained to her the concept of ki as well as taught her techniques on how to find it and bring it out for her own personal use. After teaching her the basics, he told her to practice at home and show him her progress once they met up again, which she agreed to eagerly.

So over the many meetings after that, Gohan was training Videl and teaching her the ways of ki. In the following months, Videl became quite the adept at ki manipulation, and although her skills weren't nearly at the level of all of the other Z-fighters, he couldn't help but be impressed with her progress.

Videl can now freely fly and is able to successfully pull off ki enhanced guards and punches. Gohan had promised her that once she learned these skills that Junjoubu would 'retire' since he was confident that she could safely get herself out of any (normal) situation with these skills alone. He can't help but think that this provided her a bit of extra motivation to learn these skills since she absolutely _hates _accepting help with crime fighting. Now he's considering teaching her about more advanced ki manipulation techniques, such as ki blasts.

About six visits ago was when the questions started coming back. Gohan had started bringing Goten along more frequently, and although he wasn't with him during this visit, Videl was wondering why she never got to see his other two siblings as well. She understood that his mom is usually working during the time that they usually hang out (at least that what he had told her), but it just seemed odd to her that he never brought his other siblings as well. It was during this visit that she asked him the question that had been bugging her about his siblings.

At first Gohan wanted to make up a story about them, be he knew that he was bad at lying. He then started thinking over how much he has seen Videl over the past year and a half and how close they've gotten.

He suddenly found that he didn't want to lie to her anymore; he didn't want to leave anything out. He was tired of avoiding certain topics with her. After this past year and a half, he now trusted her completely that she wouldn't tell anyone about anything he didn't want her to. It was then that he made a vow:

He would tell her everything.

And that's what he did. Over the next three visits, he revealed to her his whole history. He started by explaining to her that the two kids that he claimed were his siblings were actually his son and his daughter from the future; he told her all about what happened in the Mirai timeline as well as this timeline, from when he got abducted by his Uncle Raditz to the saiyan invasion; he told her about his trip to Namek and about Frieza, he explained to her stories from the very first android threat to Mirai Trunks' visit, from the battle with Cell until Bojack's defeat and everything in between.

Gohan also taught her about the magical dragon balls and how they could grant any wish you desired (within the dragon's power). He even told her that he's actually part alien himself, showing her his tail to prove it. He told her about the history of the saiyan race (that he knew) and about how his father came to Earth to destroy it only to become its greatest protector; he also told her about how saiyans are naturally stronger than normal humans and that they are capable of incredible strength, some having the ability to transform into super saiyans, which he had explained was what he did when he transformed into the gold fighter.

After hearing all of this, Videl was completely and utterly flabbergasted. Sure, ki control is one thing, but time travel? Traveling light years through space? Magical balls that can grant wishes? This all sounded like something like a fairy tale for her so at first she thought that he couldn't be telling the truth. She was also shocked that her best friend was an alien; after all, it was only a year ago that she started truly believing that they even existed.

It was however when she called his bluff that she knew that everything he had told her was true. Over the past year and a half, if there was one thing that she learned about Gohan, it was that he was a terrible liar. When she had looked into Gohan's eyes, all she could see is truth and sincerity in them when he adamantly reaffirmed to her that everything he told her was true.

At that point, Videl had told Gohan that she really needed to think about all of this and that by next time she would tell him if she believed him or not. Gohan had understood and took her home using instant transmission. He knew it was a lot to take in and that she probably just needed to think about it by herself for a while.

The next visit didn't occur until a week later. Videl had been thinking hard on the subject, thinking about everything Gohan had told her. She thought long and hard about it and she found that everything suddenly seemed to make sense; Cell had seemed invincible when he was terrorizing the Earth: withstanding a full-fledged military assault without getting even the tiniest scratch, blowing up entire cities and islands like nothing, yet Gohan and his friends were able to kill him.

It suddenly sounded like Gohan being alien made sense. After all, she didn't know of anyone other than him and his family being able to turn into gold fighters. She had to admit, it was very hard for her to believe the time travel business; it just seemed too much like a science fiction concept, but after thinking about it tirelessly she found that that explanation was the only one that could possibly make sense.

The biggest thing that she had an extremely hard time believing though was the fact that he actually had died, but was wished back with the dragon balls. This absolutely baffled her and no matter what he told her she just couldn't believe that people could be brought back to life from the dead. However, she suddenly realized that everyone that had died due to the whole Cell fiasco was revived as well. If that was possible, then Gohan dying and coming back to life was.

After that final revelation, she was finally ready, and it was at that fateful meeting after she had told him she needed to think everything over that she told him that she believed him and promised not to tell a soul, much to the relief of Gohan.

There were however two gigantic things the demi-saiyan had left out about himself: the fact that his mother actually died and that he's now raising Goten on his own, and the fact that he ran away from the Briefs and is currently hiding from them. He knows that he can trust her, but he just doesn't know what she would do if she found these things out. Would she tell Bulma since she's technically his legal guardian? Would she force him to go back to Capsule Corps.? A part of him thought that she wouldn't do anything if he told her his reasoning, but he really didn't want to drag her into his situation. After all, that's why he's seeing Piccolo.

It wasn't until the last visit that these things were revealed as well. It was a time where Goten was with them, and Videl was playing with the little demi-sayian when he said something interesting.

* * *

**~Satan City~**

"**You should come over to our house sometime!" the chibi excitedly suggests. "Then we can go swimming in the lake and play hide and seek in the woods and do all sorts of other fun things! I'm sure daddy wouldn't mind!"**

**This gets Videl thinking. She has never been to the Son household and the more that she thinks about it, the more appealing the idea becomes. Besides, she wants to meet the famous Chichi who was one of only two female competitors to make it to the finals of the Tenkaichi Budokai. She has been trying to prove her whole life that women can fight just as well as men can and would really like to meet one of her idols. **

**Gohan on the other hand pales at Goten's suggestion. While Videl is one of his best friends now, he doesn't know if he's ready to reveal to her his biggest secret. Before he has a chance to get his say in however Videl answers the four year old. "I would love to come over sometime Goten! I would like to meet your mommy anyways."**

**Gohan freezes at her answer. **_**This is not good!**_** He muses. Goten's face meanwhile scrunches into one of confusion. "But ane I don't have a mommy. I only have a daddy and you already know him!" Still confused, he turns to Gohan for confirmation. "Right daddy? I thought you said that mommy died when I was really little."**

**Videl's expression deadens as she is immediately filled with regret and remorse for asking about such a sensitive topic. She had no idea their mother **_**died**_**! Now she feels awful for bringing it up in the first place. She makes a move to comfort Goten, but before she gets to, Goten starts walking over to his daddy, looking really sad. **

**The little chibi feels something powerful over the bond between him and his daddy. It's so strong that he suddenly becomes very sad himself. He didn't know his mother so her death doesn't really have an effect on him too much, but obviously his daddy knew her very well and loved her very much. The four year old has gotten good at distinguishing his feelings from his daddy's over the years and knows that his daddy needs comfort now more than ever.**

**He doesn't know if it was the subject of his mother or just how casually Goten delivered the news to his best friend. All Gohan knows is that in that moment, all the grief and sorrow that has built up over the years since his mother's death has finally taken its toll on the poor teen and he now suddenly misses his mother more than ever. He wishes Goten knew his mother. He wishes he could introduce his mother to Videl; and before he could stop himself he couldn't help but start getting angry at his father again for abandoning them.**

**Goten quickly makes his way to his daddy and nudges his leg to get his attention. Ever since he told Videl that he doesn't have a mommy his daddy has just been standing there with a blank face as stiff as a board. This reaction scares the chibi demi-saiyan since he's never seen him react this way before. He wants to make sure his daddy's okay and wants him to feel better! His daddy has always comforted him on this subject by telling him that even though he doesn't have mommy that he still has a daddy that loves him twice as much to make up for it and now he wants to comfort him the same way!**

"**Daddy?" Goten timidly addresses Gohan, looking up to his face. The sound of the chibi's voice seems to knock him out of his trance and he looks down at his son, masking his feelings of intense anger at his father. He doesn't want to scare Goten or make him feel bad for bringing up the subject, but no matter what he does he just can't stop some of his sadness and grief from slipping through. The chibi demi-saiyan sees this and feels even more concerned. "Are you okay daddy?" Goten now asks, looking as though he might cry himself. **

**Gohan's face softens at seeing how worried Goten is. How could he let this happen? He's supposed to be looking out for Goten, not the other way around! He immediately smiles and picks up the demi-saiyan, giving him a sincere, loving hug which Goten immediately returns. Not only does this do wonders in comforting Goten, but it does wonders in comforting him as well. There's just something about the bond that the two share that makes it impossible to stay angry or sad when the other one is around or comforting you. **

**Looking on at the two brothers' interaction, Videl suddenly feels even worse about bringing up the subject of their mother. It's obvious that Gohan loved her deeply and misses her like crazy. As she starts to think on it further though, she suddenly starts to feel angry and a bit betrayed.**

**Why didn't he tell her that she had died?**

**As she thinks about it further it doesn't make any sense to her. She had no idea that their mother had died! Gohan had told her that his mom was just working at the time he came to see her! **

**She then ponders the thought that she might have died recently, but she recalls that Goten had said that she had died when he was really little. Plus the fact that Goten's reaction to the subject wasn't nearly as strong as Gohan's confirms the fact that she died a while ago since he was probably too young to remember her. **

**But still that's not even the point! He still kept it from her! It would have been fine if he just didn't want to tell her but he had lied to her! And if there's one thing Videl hates more than criminals that try and take over the city its people who lie!**

**What baffles her further is that it is very obvious that he trusts her, or so she thought. He had told her his whole life story, one full of secrets that she figured he would never want anyone to know about. He even told her that he was the true defeater of Cell and that her father is a fraud (although she figured as much before he had told her), yet he doesn't care that he took the credit. Why would he not trust her on this issue?**

**What makes this different?**

**As the two demi-saiyans break their hug, Videl feels her anger subside for the time being. Sure she's still mad that he didn't tell her about his mother, but she has just reaffirmed in her head that he **_**must**_** trust her. She knows there has to be **_**some**_** reason he didn't tell her, and she has a feeling it's a big one, but she wants answers. The only question now is how she will get them.**

**She figures that using the angry approach won't work too well. This obviously is a very sensitive subject for the demi saiyan so yelling at him for not telling her probably will only make him want to tell her less (not to mention she would look like a huge jerk since it is the death of a family member they are talking about). **

**Also, despite her anger at him for lying to her, she still feels sympathetic to the demi-saiyan since not only did he lose his father, but his mother as well. She would seem like a heartless person if she didn't sympathize with him.**

**She then wonders if this is the reason he didn't tell her about this: he doesn't want her to feel sorry for him. He probably thought that she would try to pity him. She knows from experience that that is the last thing that a grieving person wants. No, the best thing to do is to tell him that he is not alone in suffering.**

**Perhaps it's time she opened up a bit herself.**

**Videl approaches Gohan, who is so occupied with Goten right at the moment that he might have even forgotten that she's even there. Not for the first time does she see just how attentive of a father figure her best friend is. He really does care for the demi-saiyan as his own son. Eventually though, she gets his attention by coughing loudly. Both demi-saiyans look her way, and they suddenly remember that they are not alone. **

**Gohan realizes at that moment that she is probably mad at him for lying about his mother. Well, he mind as well tell her everything now that she knows that she's not around anymore; he just hopes that she doesn't give anything away to Goten that would have him believe that he isn't Goten's father. Sure, he had talked to her about it multiple times but she might accidentally let something slip given that she knows that it's not only Goten's mother, but **_**his**_** mother as well that died. **

"**Gohan… I'm so sorry about your mom…" Videl starts, sadness and grief in her voice. Gohan tenses for a second. She had just said that it was **_**his **_**mom that had died. However it seems like Goten thought that the girl was addressing him instead so he doesn't even notice the oddity, much to Gohan's relief. **

**Not noticing her small mishap, Videl continues: "I just would like to know why you never told me about it. If I would have known, I wouldn't have brought it up. I also could have really helped you start to get over it since I know exactly how it feels to lose a mother…" she trails off after that statement, now painful memories of her own mother's death coming back full force. **

**Both Son boys' eyes widen at that statement by Videl. Not even Gohan knew that her mother died as well. Goten, noticing Videl's drop in mood jumps out of Gohan's arms and runs over to her. Videl looks down at the demi-saiyan curious as to what he was going to do. **

"**You mean that you only have a daddy like me?" He asks, pure curiosity in his voice. **

**Videl quickly attempts to regain her composure and softly smiles and nods towards the demi-saiyan. "That's right Goten," she responds. **

**Goten then unexpectedly jumps on Videl and gives her a comforting hug, wrapping his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist. This act surprises the female crime fighter but she slowly closes her arms around the chibi and returns the hug. **

**She suddenly realizes that she really needed this hug as she can feel a tear drop running down her cheek. Gohan also makes his way over and wraps his arms around the duo, completing a group hug that would break the coldest of hearts upon seeing it. **

**The group of three stays that way for a few moments and finally breaks the three-fold embrace. Videl continues to hold Goten as Gohan addresses his best friend. "Videl… I had no idea you had lost your mother as well…"**

**Videl looks down at the sweet demi-saiyan in her arms before raising her gaze back to her best friend. "Well I guess I now know why you didn't want to tell me about it. It hurts just to talk about it…" **

**Gohan nods in confirmation. "It really does, but that's not the only reason I kept it secret from you." At seeing Videl's curious expression Gohan continues, "Don't worry, I will tell you these reasons as well… when you come over to our home. Does Saturday work for you?"**

**Goten suddenly beams up at Videl upon hearing his daddy invite her over. "Yeah ane! You should definitely come over! Please!?" He adds the last part while giving her the classic Son puppy dog eyes that will make anyone besides Gohan give in to the chibi's demands (and it even takes him incredible effort not to). **

**Videl's eyes widen upon hearing the offer. She has been dying to see Gohan's house! From what Goten says it's in an amazing location away from the city where it's nice and peaceful. Plus the look Goten is giving her is so freaking adorable! How could she refuse him? **

"**Yes!" Videl enthusiastically shouts. "Saturday it is!" At the confirmation Goten lets out a whoop in excitement and starts animatedly talking about everything they're going to do together. The sight makes Gohan smile and he suddenly finds himself excited for Saturday; despite the fact that he will need to disclose Videl everything about his current situation, he can't help but feel that she will keep it all to herself. **

**Like Videl had concluded before, he trusts Videl… a lot.**

* * *

~987 South District~

That's where Gohan finds himself at this moment. He is currently outside waiting for Videl to get close enough where he can flag her down. He knows that she won't be able to find his house when she flies over the area since he has hidden it extremely well in order to prevent the Z-warriors from seeing it when they fly over the area themselves.

Goten is also waiting outside for his 'big sister' to get here. He eagerly is anticipating her arrival. His daddy has recently taught him how to sense ki, and although he can only distinguish a few kis at this point, Videl's ki is one of them that he can distinguish no problem! He really wants her to get here so he can show her all of the neat places his daddy showed him!

Gohan looks towards Goten and smiles at his excitement. The chibi demi-saiyan has been looking forward to this all week, talking nonstop since they got back from that last visit about all of the things he's going to do with her. The teenager finds it rather sweet that Goten looks up to Videl as a big sister. He wonders briefly if his father had not died if he would look up to him the same way.

However, Gohan quickly dismisses the idea as soon as it comes to pass. The fact is that his father died to save him and chose to stay dead in order to train. There's no way to get around it and frankly he's somewhat glad his father is dead; if it wasn't for that fact he knows he wouldn't be nearly as close to Goten as he is now. However, that's not even relatively enough to justifying the act of abandoning his family in order to stay and train in Other World, but that's another matter entirely.

Gohan is brought out of his rather angering thoughts by an excited squeal from Goten. "She's close! Daddy she's close! Let's go get her daddy!"

The teen demi-saiyan smiles and nods to Goten as he picks up the chibi to go direct Videl to the correct location. In order to avoid suspicion from the Z-fighters, Gohan had Videl fly in one of her jet copters to get here since unlike the two demi-saiyans, she can't mask her ki so they might notice if she flew here on her own. Even though her ki is still relatively low compared to the others' and they most likely wouldn't notice it since it's so far away, he still doesn't want to take any risks.

As Gohan sees Videl in the horizon, he starts waving to her, thinking the whole time about how he's going to break the news to her that he's currently all alone with Goten. He also ponders how he will tell her that he's actually technically part of the Briefs family and that he's currently hiding from them, but he knows he'll figure something out. He also knows that Videl won't tell a soul about it…

At least he hopes so…

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child

sensei- teacher, master

ane- older sister


	7. Reasons & Answers

**A/N: Hey hey everybody! Chapter 6 is here!**

**I just have one note about this chapter. Some people may find Goten somewhat OOC in this chapter. If you do, you can always leave a review or PM me and I will give you my reasoning. Keep in mind how I've been writing him this entire story as well as the fact that he's been living in seclusion with just Gohan for company. Also remember that he is only four years old at this point. **

**Other than that, I think that this is one of my better chapters. I really liked writing it and something important happens at the end. What it is, you'll just have to read and find out. **

**On with Chapter 6!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 6: Reasons & Answers

~987 South District, Age 772~

Videl is rapidly approaching the area that Gohan had told her about. For some reason he told her to fly in her jet copter even though she is more than capable of flying under her own power; she would get there much quicker using her ki as well, so she doesn't understand why he would tell her to do this. However, the girl figures that the demi-saiyan has his reasons for this that he will probably disclose to her during her stay at his house.

Speaking of his house…

Videl was extremely confused when she saw the coordinates that he gave her to tell her where he lives. Sure, she knew that he lived far away from Satan City since he has to use Instant Transmission to get back to his house when Goten is napping, but she thought he lived in a remote village somewhere. According to the coordinates though, he lives in the middle of nowhere, 300 miles from any people whatsoever! She knew he lived in a secluded place, but that's freaking ridiculous!

This gets the gears turning in the young Satan girl's head. She ponders why Gohan is living in a place so far away from civilization. He could just hate big cities and love living close to nature; after all, that's what she'd prefer as well. That however doesn't explain why he lives _so _far away from _anyone_. He could probably have a home in one of the areas around Satan City and get the same effect as living out in the wild.

She then ponders if he is hiding from someone. As she muses over the thought more, the more sense it makes. He is so far away from anyone that absolutely no one would accidentally stumble upon his home. However, she can't get over one thing:

Who could he be hiding from? … and _why_ would he be hiding in the first place?!

"Ane! Ane, over here!"

Videl is suddenly driven out of her thoughts as the excited voice of Goten fills her ears. She turns her head towards the sound and sees Goten waving at her enthusiastically from his daddy's arms. Immediately she grins and heads over to the duo, stopping her jet copter in front of the two demi-saiyans. She quickly jumps out of her copter and capsulizes it, now using her ki to float in midair. As soon as Videl puts her capsule away, she is immediately tackled by the chibi demi-saiyan, startling her and making her fall a few feet out of the air before she is able to catch herself and steady her flight.

"You're here!" Goten eagerly shouts, wrapping his small arms around the girl's neck. He beams up at the girl, giving her the classic Son grin. "Did you miss me ane?"

Videl can't help but smile back at the incredibly adorable chibi. "Of course I did Goten! It's impossible not to miss you."

Her reply causes his grin to widen as he wraps his arms around her tighter. The scene causes Gohan to smile as well as her looks on. Goten is generally a sweet, loving kid, but he seems to be extra fond of Videl, a fact that the teenaged demi-saiyan is glad of. Videl is quickly becoming one of the most important people in his life and he's happy that Goten is happy with her.

Eventually though, Gohan breaks their greetings of each other and announces his presence. "Hey, what about me?" Gohan incredulously asks.

Videl shifts Goten so that he's resting on one of her arms and floats over to Gohan, a smirk present on her face. "You on the other hand Gohan I didn't miss one bit!"

Gohan's eyes widen as the smile falls from his face. "Really?" he asks, sounding hurt.

Videl tries to hold her laughter in, but fails miserably. The look on his face is just priceless! She always enjoys messing around with the teen demi-saiyan simply because he's so naïve and gullible that it's super easy, plus his reactions are hilarious. Meanwhile Gohan, now realizing that his best friend is messing with him, pouts like Goten would if he took something away.

"That's not funny Videl…" Gohan pouts, an almost identical expression to Goten when upset. This only makes Videl laugh harder, causing Gohan to sigh in exasperation at his friend's antics as well as making Goten extremely confused. He doesn't know what's so funny. Videl just told his daddy that she didn't miss him and he was surprised at what she said. He doesn't understand what's so funny and he feels bad for his daddy because he wasn't as missed as he was.

Goten jumps from Videl's arms to Gohan's arms in an instant. Unlike when he hugged Videl though, Gohan is able to catch him no problem. Gohan ceases his pouting as his expression changes to one of curiosity looking down at his son for the reason he transferred people.

"Don't worry daddy, I still love you!" Goten suddenly announces, taking Gohan completely off guard. What caused him to think that the teen wasn't loved? Gohan however quickly realizes that Goten was thinking that Videl didn't like him because she said he wasn't missed. This sweet gesture makes Gohan melt on the inside and he immediately returns the chibi's hug. This is one of the things he truly loves about Goten: his loving, caring nature. He must be doing something right in raising the boy for him to turn out so sweet.

"Aww, thanks Goten!" Gohan replies to the boy, clutching him close. "I feel better now."

Meanwhile, Videl has finally stopped laughing long enough to witness the adorable scene in front of her. Even though she's seen it multiple times over the past year and a half it still amazes her how two people can be so close. She can practically feel the love radiating off of the two Son boys.

As the two Sons split their hug, Videl finally speaks up once more. "So are we just gonna float here all day or are you actually going to show me your house?"

Both Goten and Gohan grin sheepishly. "Heh heh sorry about that Videl," Gohan replies. "We'll show you around. Let's land and we'll walk over to our house and then Goten will show you some of the places around here before his nap."

Videl nods in confirmation of the plan and follows the two demi-saiyans as they land on the ground. She continues to follow them as Gohan leads her through a rather dense forest, looking around and admiring the beauty. She is awed by the calmness of the atmosphere and the tranquil feeling that it gives her. She can definitely tell why Gohan's family picked this spot to live.

Eventually, the trio arrives at a clearing. "Well, here we are!" Gohan announces. "Home sweet home I guess he he." Videl takes in the view in front of her and the sight absolutely takes her breath away:

She can see the ocean in the distance right over a bluff; she's close enough though that she can hear the ocean waves splash up against the shore. The view of the large body of water is spectacular from this point of view and the sound of the water just adds to the peaceful, tranquil atmosphere that the area already naturally has. A few yards to her right she can see a beautiful mountain range in the far distance towering over a dense forest that surrounds it. They are so high that they reach into the clouds, giving them an almost mystical appearance. The teenage girl finds herself wondering just how high they go. She continues to move her gaze across the area and sees that the whole rest of the area is covered by dense, green forest, including the way that they came from. She figures that the area is filled with tons of wildlife, making her seem more at one with nature in this place than she has ever felt before. All in all she can tell that the place is very secluded and peaceful, which the teenaged crime fighter really loves about the place.

Videl however sees something barely sticking out of the forest and realizes that that is the house that Gohan was talking about. The teen demi-saiyan wasn't kidding when he said that she wouldn't be able to find it by just flying over the area. She actually had to re-look for it a few times since it's so well hidden! The whole, rather large capsule house is sheltered by the trees of the forest with a window on the side with an ocean view. She figures that the room with that window has a spectacular view of the ocean that would normally be worth millions on the real estate market.

However, this also raises her suspicion that he must be hiding from someone.

"So, what do you think Videl?" Gohan asks his best friend. He can tell that she is 'wowed' by the sight from her expression, but he wants to hear her say it.

"Gohan…" Videl answers, breathless. "It's beautiful! I can definitely see why your family moved out here."

Gohan chuckles, but then notices Goten squirming in his arms, ready to hit the ground running. He smiles down at his son before turning back to Videl. "I would show you around the house, but it seems like Goten here is really anxious to show you around the area."

The chibi demi-saiyan confirms his daddy's statement. "Yeah ane! Common! Follow me!" He leaps out of Gohan's arms and runs over to Videl, grabbing her hand in his. He then proceeds to drag her towards the forest where he plans to show her all of the cool spots that his daddy had showed him when they first went exploring in the area. Gohan chuckles at the chibi's antics before quickly following the duo.

Goten leads Videl through the forest that surrounds the house, pointing out every little detail. The daughter of Hercule can't help but think of how incredibly cute the chibi's antics are. Apparently the four year old has a lot of animal friends as he keeps pointing out places that he met certain 'friends' of his. At one point he even tells his daddy to cover his eyes so that he can show Videl his best hiding spots for when they play hide and seek. Of course the demi-saiyan complies even though he already knows all of Goten's hiding spots.

Eventually though they make their way to Goten's favorite place in the forest: a nice, very secluded lake. The area is about the size of a large football stadium with the lake probably being as big as a football field, but in more of a natural shape. The grass that surrounds the lake is probably the greenest grass that Videl has ever seen, showing just how pure the soil and water must be in order to make it appear so healthy. As the girl is dragged over to the edge of the lake, she can see just how clear the water actually is. Even though it's a lake, and a pretty deep one at that, the water is so clean that she can see the bottom of the lake, even at the deepest part! She thought that she could only do that in the ocean.

Videl is brought out of her thoughts when she hears a big splash. She turns her gaze to the area that it occurred and realizes that Gohan is in the water! Her ears then pick up on insane giggling and she looks towards the sound to see that the source is none other than Goten.

"Haha!" The chibi continues to giggle. "I pushed daddy in the lake! Hahaha!"

Upon hearing what the chibi is laughing at, Videl can't help but start laughing as well. For such a sweet kid, Goten can be quite mischievous and Videl finds this fact highly amusing. She recalls what Gohan had told her about Goten's birthday last year when the newly turned three year old threw his cake at him. This situation seems incredibly similar with Goten taking Gohan completely by surprise with his antics.

After a minute or so, Gohan finally resurfaces and tries his best to glare at Goten for his prank. However, his eyes don't show any anger, only amusement with a hint of mischievousness as well. Suddenly, Gohan spits all the water that he had in his mouth right at Goten, making the chibi instantly stop his laughter and shriek while backing away. Gohan then starts laughing while Goten pouts since his clothes are now wet.

"That was a good one Goten!" Gohan praises. "You got me. Now can you help me out?"

"Oh I can help you Gohan–" Videl quickly answers, starting to make her way over to the demi-saiyan.

"No Videl, I would like Goten to help me out," Gohan replies, giving her a subtle wink. This makes Videl stop in her tracks and becomes curious as to what he's going to do.

Goten complies with his daddy's wishes and makes his way over to him. He then sticks his hand out in order to pull him to the shore. However, when Gohan grabs the four year old's hand, he suddenly pulls him in with him! With a yelp of surprise, Goten plunges into the water on top of Gohan, causing both demi-saiyans to become submerged in the lake.

Upon seeing the trick that Gohan used, Videl cracks up again. Those two are too funny together! She continues to laugh as Gohan and Goten emerge from the depths of the lake. Since Videl isn't really paying attention to them, Gohan gives Goten a smirk and gestures over to the laughing girl, a smirk which Goten returns and nods to, then quickly covers his mouth with both of his hands to stifle a few giggles at his daddy's plan.

Almost silently, Gohan makes his way over to the shore where Videl is still laughing. Using his insane quickness, Gohan quickly grabs the girl's arm and pulls her into the lake as well. Not expecting that in the slightest, Videl is completely unprepared and falls ungracefully into the lake on her stomach, creating a painful sounding splat before she starts sinking in the water below.

Now it's the two Son boys that are laughing their heads off at the misfortune of Videl. They continue to laugh as Videl emerges, but quickly stop at the death glare she sends Gohan.

"GOHAN!" she shouts, causing said boy to flinch. "Are you _insane_?! That was _not_ funny! I could have drowned! And now my clothes are all wet, and unlike you, I don't just have an extra set at your house that I can change into!"

By the time she's done yelling at the poor demi-saiyan, she had made her way right next to him. Gohan looks down, shameful. "I'm sorry Videl," he responds, sounding incredibly regretful. This causes Videl's glare to soften but she still tries her best to keep stern. "But you could always use your ki to dry your clothes."

Slowly, a smirk makes its way to the teenaged girl's face. "I think I have a better idea," she suddenly answers. Before Gohan has a chance to even process those words, Videl lunges towards the demi-saiyan and dunks him under the water. This leads to Goten coming over and trying to dunk Videl, but failing due to his small size. Videl smirks at the demi saiyan on her shoulders before she falls backwards, dunking the chibi under the water as well.

A water war ensues thereafter. All three play around in the water for a good two hours before they all become tired. As soon as the war is over, they all get out and dry themselves off, Videl drying herself with ki and Gohan drying both himself and Goten with his ki. Goten ends up falling asleep in Gohan's arms, a combination of exhaustion from his fun in the water and the overwhelmingly comforting feeling of his daddy's ki when he dried him off.

Gohan and Videl find themselves walking back to the house in comfortable silence, neither of them wanting to risk waking up the slumbering demi-saiyan. Videl however is thinking about how she's going to confront Gohan with her questions. She knows that this may be the best time to ask him with the chibi sleeping so she decides that as soon as the little guy is taken care of that she will start her inquiry.

Videl wonders who Gohan is living with if his mother is dead. He has told her stories about his adventures and assumes that he's living with one of his father's friends that he talked about. She didn't see anybody by the house, but then again, she didn't go that close to the house to begin with, plus the house is so well hidden that it may be that they never even knew she was here.

Eventually they make their way to the house. They enter to a fairly spacious living room that has what looks to be a very comfortable leather sofa right next to a fluffy looking chair. "Why don't you wait in here Videl," Gohan suggests in a low voice. "I'm going to put Goten in his room and then I'll come back here and I'll explain everything. You probably have a ton of questions huh…"

Videl just nods, somewhat surprised that he's just going to go and tell her everything without much protest, and makes her way to sit on the couch. Gohan meanwhile heads down the hallway, cradling his tiny child in his arms as he carries him to his room. Goten has a contented smile on his face as he sleeps, which brings a smile to Gohan's face as well. Once in the room, Gohan gently lays his son down on the bed and runs his hand though the little guy's hair for a minute before returning to Videl.

While the Satan girl was trying to think of questions on the journey back to Gohan's house, the teenage demi-saiyan was thinking of how he's going to explain everything. He admits that he's nervous about her reaction to everything he's going to tell her but he's been thinking about it all week and feels like it's best if he tells her everything truthfully. She already knows just about everything else about him anyways so if he trusts her enough to tell her his whole life story then he should trust her enough to tell her this as well.

Videl looks around the living room of Gohan's home. She admits that it is a pretty spacious space for the size of the house. Across from the couch she's sitting on is a very nice looking wood-burning stone fireplace, bringing in a more traditional look to the room. There is also a nice looking wooden low table in front of the couch and a high end table right in between the sofa and chair with a classic looking table lamp. The room is rather simple, but cozy, giving her a welcoming feeling even though she's never been here before.

She wonders where the person Gohan is living with is. He never mentioned them before since he was telling her that he was living with his mother, but she finds it strange that they're not around, especially on a Saturday afternoon. She then notices three pictures that are sitting on the mantle of the fireplace. Taking a quick glance down the hallway and not seeing any sign of Gohan coming back, Videl makes her way over to take a look at the photos. Perhaps the person he and Goten are living with is in the photos.

The daughter of Hercule takes a look at the first photo and can't help but smile since it's so adorable. It's a picture of Goten at the chibi's most recent birthday party. The kid's face is covered in chocolate cake, yet he's grinning at the camera with that classic Son smile of his in his yellow and green kimono outfit that Gohan had given him the previous year. He is also holding up four fingers, showing just how old he is to whoever is taking the picture. The chibi looks to be incredibly excited and full of energy, and judging by the amount of cake on his mouth, he probably will be for a while longer.

The next photo was from when Goten was first born. It's a picture of Gohan in his mother's hospital room, holding a bundle of blankets that Videl assumes is Goten as an infant. While the photo couldn't capture the infant demi-saiyan's expression, you can see Gohan's face clearly, showing nothing but affection for the small life in his arms. Videl can also see Chichi in her bed, looking on with a mixed expression of pride and exhaustion. She figures that the poor woman had just finished enduring a bunch of wailing from her infant son when the picture was taken.

The last picture is of three people that look to be close siblings, although Videl now knows otherwise. Gohan is in the middle of the group with one of his arms around a girl that looks to be the same age as him. She has long, black hair that flows smoothly down to her shoulders and dark, onyx looking eyes that are almost identical to the boy that has his arm wrapped around her. She is wearing a blue gi sporting Gohan's kanji on it with an orange long-sleeved undershirt.

On Gohan's other side is a boy that looks no more than two years younger than him, sporting black, spiky hair in a style that Videl instantly recognizes as Goku's. He too has onyx eyes that look pretty much identical to the boy that has his arm around him. In fact, now that she knows exactly who this boy is, she can see just how much he looks like Gohan; if not for the hairstyle she would have thought that they were identical twins! He too is wearing the same outfit as the girl on Gohan's other side, and all three chibi's in the photo are donning the exact same grin.

Of course Videl knows that they're Gohan's kids from the Mirai Timeline, and looking at them all side by side in that photo makes it all too obvious. She can't help but wonder who their mother was. Who was it that ended up getting such a kind and sweet guy as Gohan to marry?

_Whoever it was, she was one lucky girl,_ she inwardly muses. _He's an amazing guy who is probably more loving than anyone I've ever seen._

As soon as she realizes what she was thinking a blush creeps to her cheeks and she quickly walks back to the sofa and sits down, putting her head in her hands in an attempt to try and rid herself of her confusing thoughts. Why is she thinking about Gohan like that!? Gohan's her best friend! She shouldn't have feelings for him! She can't have feelings for this boy…

Can she?

Videl is interrupted from her rather deep thoughts by the subject of said thoughts. Gohan walks in to the living room and sits on the sofa next to Videl. "Are you okay Videl?" he suddenly asks, seeing that she is holding her head in her hands.

Upon realizing that Gohan caught her in her musing (about him no less), her cheeks tint a rosy pink and she turns her head away in an attempt to hide her blush and regain her composure. After a moment she feels as if she can look the demi-saiyan in the eye once more and turns back to him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just caught up in some confusing thoughts that's all," she finally replies.

"Oh," is the demi-saiyan's simple response. About a minute of awkward silence follows before Videl speaks up.

"Hey Gohan, who are you living with?"

Gohan is caught off guard by the question. What does she mean by that? "What do you mean Videl?"

Videl becomes confused. It's a simple question. "I mean who took you in after your mom died? You have to be living with some adult. Is it that Piccolo guy you told me about that trained you and treats you like his son? Or is it Krillin, the guy who went to Namek with you? I doubt it's someone like Bulma Briefs since I couldn't see someone like that living out here in the wilderness, not to mention she is the President of the biggest company in the world."

Realization dawns on Gohan and his eyes widen. Sure to him, raising Goten on his own isn't that shocking since he knows how mature he is for his age but to someone like Videl the idea must be preposterous: a kid raising an infant on his own starting at the age of twelve? How is he going to explain himself now?

Gohan just decides to go with the most direct route. "I'm not living with anyone other than Goten, Videl," he finally answers her. "I have been living here by myself since about four years ago."

To say that she's beyond shocked would be a huge understatement. Not only is he living on his own at the age of sixteen, but he's been living on his own for four years! The fact that he's also been raising Goten for that whole time just adds to her astonishment.

Seeing that Videl looks too shocked to be saying something anytime soon, Gohan continues. "I guess I'll start explaining myself, but promise me that you'll keep everything I'm about to tell you a secret! Please don't tell my guardian about any of this since I'm not ready to return to her yet!"

Seeing the demi-saiyan's desperate plea, Videl feels herself give in to the teen's condition. "Alright Gohan, I promise, but you better have a good explanation or I might change my mind!"

Gohan sighs, but nods his head. He then starts to tell her everything that truly happened over the last four years, starting with how his mom died. He has a hard time reliving the moment he found her and he has a harder time suppressing the anger he has at his father for causing it, but is able to get through that part of the story well enough. After all of that is explained, he tells her about how Bulma had instantly adopted him and Goten and also tells her about the medical malpractice case, which he ended up winning, also explaining how he was able to have enough money to live on his own without a steady job for the past four years.

He then goes over his reason for running away from all of his father's friends. He explains his reasoning that he felt guilty for reminding everyone of his father's death and that eventually he couldn't take the guilt anymore and ran off, taking Goten with him. He explains that he was able to hide himself from everyone else using a ki blocking wristband which he also tells Videl is the reason why he had her fly in her jet copter to come here today since flying would display a greater output of ki. He guiltily explains to her that this is also the reason why he hasn't taught her the ability to sense ki yet so that she wouldn't get suspicious when she felt no ki coming from him or Goten.

He continues by telling her about how he spent that night in a cave where he trained when he was little and bought the very capsule house they are sitting in the next day. He tells her about how he tried to find a place far away from where anyone could find him, yet a place similar enough to his home where he grew up in and ended up choosing the 987 South District. After that, he tells her about how ever since then he has been raising Goten by himself while out here.

After much persistent questioning by Videl about the reason he still hasn't returned to the Briefs, Gohan reluctantly lets her in on his biggest secret: his feelings towards his father. Videl gasps when he tells her how he hates his father and he's adamant on how he feels that the man abandoned Goten and his mom. He tells her that he wouldn't have had a problem with it if he had just abandoned him since he feels like he deserves it, but he feels that it was absolutely wrong to abandon his mother and Goten. Unable to stop himself at this point, Gohan even reveals that he believes that his mother went into the depression that ended up killing her because of Goku, giving him all the more reason to hate the man.

Videl never knew that Gohan felt this way the entire time. He did a magnificent job at hiding all of this grief and anger since she never picked up on any of it. Before she can say anything in return however, Gohan explains that he is seeing Piccolo every week about this issue in order to work it out and return to everyone, strongly telling her that he's getting the help he needs in order to get through this. Despite his reassurances though, Videl makes an attempt to address the issue once more only to be interrupted by Gohan's monitor that he uses to keep track of Goten's sleeping.

"Well, it looks like the squirt is getting up." Gohan quickly interrupts, standing up relieved. He's thankful for the interruption. In his opinion, he already went too far about his feeling towards his father and he doesn't want to have to involve Videl at all in this. "Please keep everything we've discussed a secret, including to Goten as well. He still doesn't know that I'm hiding from everyone. _Please _Videl!" he urges the girl desperately.

Videl really has no clue what she expected to find out about Gohan, but it clearly wasn't what he told her. She honestly has no clue on what to do. Her brain is telling her to immediately go to Bulma and tell her where Gohan is since no teenager, no matter how mature, should have to raise a kid all by themselves. Also, from what she heard from him, he really has no reason to be hiding from them. Heck! They might even help him get over what he's going through since what he's doing right now clearly isn't working since he's still hiding.

Her heart however tells her to keep the whole thing a secret. She can clearly see how desperate Gohan is about this whole thing. She can also tell that despite all odds, he has been doing a wonderful job raising the small demi-saiyan all on his own. She also has a feeling that despite the fact that he told her he's hiding from everyone because of the guilt it brings him that there's another hidden motive behind his reason to stay:

His relationship with Goten.

Perhaps subconsciously Gohan is afraid that if he returns to his old lifestyle, things will change between the two of them, and he's hiding to stop that from happening at all costs. She even has a feeling that this may be one reason why he can't seem to make any progress forgiving his father, as that (in his mind) gives him a legitimate excuse to keep staying hidden. She doesn't know what it would do to him if she actually didn't keep it secret.

In the end, her heart wins the battle. "Alright Gohan, I won't tell anyone, not even Goten…" she finally relents. "But," she adds seeing Gohan's relieved expression, "don't you think for one minute that this conversation is over. We need to talk about this more and tell me what the heck is going on in that head of yours," she says in a serious tone, leaving Gohan no room for argument.

Gohan sighs in defeat. He really didn't want to involve her in this mess but it looks like it's too late for that. However, he's incredibly thankful that she is holding her promise and not telling anyone about what they discussed. "Alright Videl… you win…" he relents. He then makes his way down the hallway to Goten's room to get the chibi from his little nap.

* * *

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower~

It's the day after Videl had come over to Gohan's home in the 987 South District. Gohan and Goten are both currently on The Lookout for Gohan's weekly 'therapy session' with Piccolo. He informed the Namekian about Videl and how he unintentionally dragged her into this mess. He keeps on beating himself up for that since he doesn't want her to get too involved with it.

Piccolo however internally is stunned by this news, but in a much more positive way. Gohan is opening himself up to someone other than himself! Sure the Namekian is aware of the fact that he told Videl all about his journeys and his heritage, but he never thought that he would have told her about his father… at least not willingly. He must have let something slip somehow that she caught onto that forced him to reveal everything.

Still, the Namekian knows that this is gigantic news nonetheless. Perhaps this Videl is the key to him finally forgiving his father. Unlike himself and the rest of the Z-gang, Videl never met Goku. She hasn't been affected by personal experiences with the man and therefore hasn't really developed any biases about him. Perhaps she can shed a whole new perspective on the situation, allowing Gohan to see reason from an outsider's angle. After all, he might be subconsciously thinking that Piccolo is trying to get him to forgive his father since he doesn't think Goku could do any wrong due to personal bias, even though that's not even close to true.

Goten meanwhile is playing a game with Dende inside of the Lookout Palace. He, however, isn't really paying attention to it as he is deep thought about something that has been bothering him for the past six months.

Ever since his fourth birthday, his daddy has been insistent on training him in the form of martial arts. This confuses the young four year old since before, his daddy didn't really mention anything about it. He really didn't mind though. However, just like Gohan before his fusion with his saiyan side, Goten doesn't really want to fight…

At least not like how his daddy wants him to.

The chibi does like fighting to a certain extent; after all, he is part saiyan. Some of his fondest memories are of all of the times where they play their game 'Junjoubu' where Gohan plays a villain and Goten gets to be Junjoubu and save the day by beating the villain. That usually involves a bit of 'play fighting' where he fights off his daddy, but that usually ends in a tickle war.

Now his daddy is serious about the fighting, and Goten doesn't really like it. Being the type of kid he is, he really doesn't want to hurt anyone or anything, even if it is part of the sport. However, his daddy keeps on insisting, and Goten's not really too thrilled about it.

Sure, he admits that the training part is fun. He thinks learning ki control is pretty cool (who _doesn't _want to learn how to fly?) and his daddy keeps teaching him defensive maneuvers and a few offensive strikes that he gets to use in their Junjoubu game.

But then, about three months ago, his daddy had him actually spar with him. Not a 'play fight,' a serious spar. His daddy had told him to start attacking him with the moves he taught him, but when the chibi started out like he normally does, instead of playing along, his daddy had started telling him to strike harder, to actually attack him.

This shocked the chibi greatly. Why was his daddy telling him to attack him like he wants to hurt him? He really didn't like that since he couldn't bring himself to attack his daddy, even if he promised him that he wouldn't get hurt and that it was the point of a spar to be able to practice the moves he had taught him. To him, his daddy was the best and he couldn't find it in his heart to attack the person he loved more than anyone.

He told his daddy this and the teenaged demi-saiyan, while truly touched by Goten's words, told him that it was very important to learn martial arts. Goten had asked before why it was so important, but the only response he would get is that it is important since he needed to learn how to defend himself.

This however confused the chibi. Why does he need to defend himself? He has his daddy to protect him! He knows about how strong his daddy is and knows that he can beat anyone who dares threaten him, so to the chibi demi-saiyan, training to learn to defend himself is completely pointless. While Goten was confused about his daddy's reasoning though, he just accepted it for the time being and continued to do it for his daddy, even though he didn't like this part.

Over the next three months, his daddy would do these spars every week on the days before they would go to the Lookout. Goten was really starting to not like doing this with his daddy since his daddy would get way too serious about it. He would constantly push Goten to try and attack him harder and harder, but it never got any easier for him. His daddy would usually then start attacking him, which is another thing that the chibi didn't understand since his daddy _never_ attacked him before, and quite frankly, it scared him.

The chibi expressed this concern to his daddy however, and he had responded with the rationale that he was just testing out the chibi's defensive skills that he taught him. While this eased his fears a bit about his daddy possibly being mad at him, he still hated that his daddy would actually go after him. This is the part that Goten liked the least.

He misses the old times before his daddy started training him. Back then, he never had to worry about fighting his daddy, or anything for that matter. The only thing his daddy would do with him is play their games that he absolutely adores and take care of him at home. Back then, fighting was only playing Junjoubu and not this intense stuff that they do now. He misses those times and wants them to come back.

However, despite the fact that he doesn't like the sparring at all, he's stuck it out since his daddy says it was so important. He wants to make his daddy proud of him, and if this is the only way to do it, then he will do it. This doesn't make it any easier for the chibi though and he finds himself still searching for the explanation that he wants on why his daddy is so intense in this and why he's so worried about him being able to defend himself.

Perhaps though his daddy's friend Dende knows why his daddy insists that he train in martial arts. Wanting to find out now more than ever, Goten questions the Guardian of Earth. "Hey Mr. Dende, sir?" the demi-saiyan finally says to get his attention.

Dende, who was busy planning out his next move in the card game they were playing, looks up from his hand and into the demi-saiyan's eyes. "Yes Goten?"

"Do you know why my daddy's training me in this thing called 'marshal arts?' He says I need to learn to defend myself, but why would I need to? I have him to protect me and I really don't like fighting like that!"

The young Namekian's eyes widen upon hearing that Gohan is training Goten. He was completely unaware of that fact and in all honesty, he's confused by it as well. What spurred his best friend to start training the boy all of the sudden? He knows for a fact that Gohan doesn't want Goten to have a childhood like his own and knows that the teenaged demi-saiyan would do anything possible to prevent his son from fighting in a serious battle, so why is he being so insistent?

Upon realizing that his charge is still waiting for a response, Dende shakes his head. "I honestly don't know Goten, but perhaps Piccolo can answer your question. Do you want me to get him quickly?"

"Yeah!" Goten answers enthusiastically. "He seems really smart! He will know for sure!"

The young guardian chuckles at Goten's enthusiasm. "Alright, Goten. I'll go get him really quickly. Can I trust you to stay here until I get back?"

The chibi demi-saiyan eagerly nods his head. "Uh-huh! You can count on me!"

"Ha ha, alright stay put and I'll be right back," Dende replies. He then quickly leaves to find Piccolo. He doesn't want to leave the chibi on his own for too long.

Piccolo is currently sparing with his gakusei. At the moment, he is on the offensive attacking Gohan while trying to test out the demi-saiyans defensive abilities… at least trying to attack him.

He can't help but be impressed with Gohan's improvement over the time away from everyone. Then again, he does know that his gakusei has been training extensively for the past four years, that is when he's not taking care of Goten. That makes it even more impressive since he spends so much time with the chibi, but he knows the reasoning–Gohan told him that much at least: the fact that ever since his merger with his saiyan side, he's had a lust for battle.

He didn't know this when he first came to him a year and a half ago on Goten's birthday. That's why when Gohan brought up weekly sparring lessons along with his mental training Piccolo was clearly stunned; his gakusei _never_ wanted to fight for the heck of it before. He was even more surprised when instead of a drop off in Gohan's skill and ability since last time they spared due to the years of not training, he saw not only a maintenance of his prior skill, but _improvement_! That showed him that he hadn't just been training to stay in shape in times of piece but actually working himself to improve. He must say that he was pleasantly surprised at the time.

Now Gohan has improved even more so. While the Namekian has made extreme progress over the last year and a half of sparring with his gakusei, Gohan has been improving even faster: he's been increasing in strength very quickly and his speed hasn't lagged off at all as he's gotten bigger–if anything it has improved! The Namekian attributes his even faster progress to his body becoming more mature and growing into a better fit for a warrior.

One tends to forget from time to time that he was only a kid when he had all of his adventures. A true prodigy when it comes to fighting.

The spar is interrupted when Dende comes up to Piccolo, forcing the two fighting to cease their spar. "Hey Piccolo could you come with me for a minute?" the young guardian asks his older Namekian counterpart.

Piccolo's eyes narrow in suspicion. "What? Why?" he asks incredulously.

"I need you to help me with something. It will only take a minute," the guardian reassures him.

*sigh* "Fine," Piccolo responds. "Gohan, why don't you practice your meditation? If anything it will help lower your anger for a little while anyways."

Gohan nods in confirmation. "Alright Piccolo. Hey Dende," Gohan suddenly addresses the younger Namekian, eyes narrowing and his voice turning serious. "Where's Goten? Aren't you supposed to be watching him? Do you think it's a good idea to leave him on his own?"

Dende gulps at the look that his best friend is giving him. One would be an idiot to say that Gohan wasn't protective of his chibi demi-saiyan. He quickly regains his composure before responding. "I wouldn't worry too much Gohan. He's in a room that only has one exit that only leads out to here. In fact, the room only has a bed and a table with a lamp as pieces of furniture. If he escaped, we would see him."

As if on cue, Goten walks out of the palace in search of his host. "Mr. Dende sir, have you gotten Mr. Piccolo yet?"

Gohan glares at Dende for not predicting Goten would try to 'explore' to which the guardian chuckles nervously. "Heh heh, yes Goten. Now why don't you stay here with your daddy for a little bit while I discuss something with Piccolo. When we come back we'll get something to eat alright?"

Goten squeals in excitement. "Ooh food! Yeah! You better be quick 'cause I'm hungry!" Goten animatedly answers before running over to Gohan. "Hey daddy!" he excitedly greets, jumping up into the older demi-saiyan's arms to secure a hug, to which the older demi-saiyan quickly returns with a smile.

"Hey squirt," Gohan replies. Now securing his son is his arms, he turns his attention to the Namekian duo. "You guys better do what you gotta do quickly. You don't want to keep the little guy waiting!" he jokes, a complete 180 from the seriousness that he held only moments prior.

Dende internally sighs in relief, thankful to have gotten out of that one. He knows how serious Gohan is about anything that has to do with Goten. While by nature Gohan is a friendly, trusting person, when it comes to his adopted son he doesn't trust many people to take care of the chibi without him there in the room with him. He's glad that he's one of the few that he does and he doesn't want to lose that trust any time soon. He merely nods before gesturing to Piccolo to follow him into the palace once again.

Once the two Namekians leave, Gohan turns his attention to Goten. "So squirt, what do you want to do until they get back?"

Goten places his hand on his chin and looks up towards the blue sky, a thoughtful expression on his face before beaming at Gohan. "Let's play tag daddy! Not it!" he suddenly yells as he jumps out of his daddy's arms and quickly runs to the other side of the Lookout. Gohan smiles and shakes his head at his son's antics before heading off in pursuit of the chibi.

* * *

"Are you serious Piccolo?!" Dende shouts incredulously at the older Namekian's suggestion. He must be out of his mind!

"I'm completely serious Dende," Piccolo answers in a firm tone. "It may be the only way to make him realize Gohan's true motives. He probably will _want_ to train afterwards."

"Do you know how Gohan's going to react once he finds out what happened!?" Dende replies furiously. This is the very first time he's questioned his fellow Namekian since he's became Guardian of the Earth. "He's going to be furious Piccolo!"

"It's the only way Dende." Piccolo responds firmly once more, not backing down an inch. "Gohan will appreciate it later."

Dende lets out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, but after all of this is over I'm telling him this was all your idea!" he angrily shouts back throwing his arms down and storming out of the room.

He honestly doesn't know if he's ever been more furious in his life! On Namek when his people where getting slaughtered by Frieza, he was more terrified than angry. This might be the first time the young guardian has been legitimately angry, and with good reason! He knows that Gohan will not like what he's going to do, but he just can't argue with Piccolo! He really needs to calm down before he gets Goten once more.

Piccolo sighs with frustration before starting to head his way back toward the two demi-saiyans. He understands completely why the younger Namekian is mad at him: this is why he didn't retaliate in an angry manner, nor does he hold it against him for being angry. However, he doesn't see any other way to get Goten to understand. Sure, he could probably just tell the chibi, but he has a feeling that this method will make the chibi _truly_ understand Gohan's motives and reasons.

Eventually he makes his way out towards the outside of the palace, getting quickly brushed past by a still somewhat angry Dende as he makes his way to the kitchen, although the presence of Goten seems to have lightened him up significantly. The chibi also waves enthusiastically at Piccolo before continuing to follow Dende.

The Namekian makes his way over to his gakusei who is anxiously waiting for him. "Umm Piccolo?" Gohan suddenly speaks up. "What exactly did you and Dende talk about? He was pretty angry when he came out here, although he hid it pretty well in front of Goten."

Piccolo just stares at Gohan seriously. "We had a… disagreement, but it's all fine now. He's a little mad that he didn't get his way but he'll appreciate it in the end. Now… where did we leave off in our training?"

Gohan smirks at his sensei. "I believe that it was my turn to test out _your_ defensive skills," he says mischievously. Oh, he will have fun with this.

Piccolo merely grunts his approval. "Very well," he replies curtly, getting into his traditional defensive stance. Taking the unspoken cue, Gohan launches at Piccolo and their spar continues once more.

The large Namekian finds himself once again impressed with Gohan's improvement. It seems as though the teenage demi-saiyan has made another leap in strength in just a week. It amazes him what this man is capable of when his two sides are working in sync with each other. His offensive technique has improved as well, and the Namekian inwardly smirks as he sees that his gakusei has been working on the minor changes in his style that he suggested last week. It's like he's been working on it for months!

About another hour passes and the spar is now starting to get serious. Piccolo now is powered up to ¾ power while Gohan has finally transformed into a super saiyan. Both of them are now in an intense high power, high speed exchange of fists and feet when all of a sudden, Gohan's head snaps in the direction of the palace.

Piccolo notices this and immediately stops himself from his next attack, now confused as to why his gakusei stopped so suddenly. His confusion quickly turns to concern as he sees the serious concentrated look on his gakusei's face shift to one of pure terror, as if he's staring down Cell or Bojack all over again.

"GOTEN!" he immediately shouts, completely ignoring the Namekian that he was fighting not two seconds ago and flying full speed toward the Palace.

* * *

Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

ki- energy

ane- my older sister

sensei- teacher, master

gakusei- student


	8. Eye Opener

**A/N: What's up my peeps? I'm back with yet another installment of Gohan's Legacy: Legacy Through Actions!**

**I only have one note about this chapter. I am going to be going into events that happened in the past. I would like to remind everyone that this is a A/U. I watched all of the anime and read all of the manga, so I know what happened in the cannon, but this is my own story. Don't get me wrong: What I wrote follows what happened in the cannon pretty closely, but minor details will be different. I just don't want to hear people saying that "This isn't exactly what happened in the cannon!" or "this detail is wrong!" I am well aware that not everything is the same, but this is a fan fiction!**

**I really have nothing much else to say. I'm going on vacation with my family over the next week so I should have plenty of time to write in the car. I have my inspiration back so I am starting to pound out chapters like I used to, which is good for the future updating schedule. **

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 7: Eye Opener

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower, Age 772~

Dende is currently leading Goten into the palace and towards the kitchen in order to get some food like he promised the demi-saiyan. He's actually glad that he made that promise at the moment since it will give him a chance to calm down.

He can't believe Piccolo! Why would he even suggest such a thing?! He was only thinking about proving a point without any consideration for the small boy they are trying to prove the point to! Doesn't the older Namekian realize that this could actually make things worse by traumatizing the poor boy?

"**He's only four years old Piccolo!" Dende shouts at his fellow Namekian. **

"**So was he Dende," is Piccolo's stoic reply. **

He doesn't care if Gohan was only four years old at the time! Goten is _not_ Gohan! Sure, he can see Piccolo's reasoning for doing this, but to the young guardian it's completely unnecessary. Why can't they just tell the poor chibi?

"**Telling him won't be enough Dende," Piccolo replies to the guardian's question. "It might give him the answer he desires, but it won't motivate him. He needs to see it for himself."**

Dende internally lets out another sigh of frustration. Deep down he knows that Piccolo is right, which is why he eventually consented to this particular strategy in answering Goten's question. Dende has gotten to know the chibi well over the past year and a half and knows that unlike his biological father, he has no inner desire to fight seriously, much like Gohan when he was Goten's age. He could tell from the many questions that the chibi would ask him about the reasons why his daddy would always fight with Piccolo whenever they came up here. If the chibi wanted to fight, it wouldn't be such a mystery to him why they are always sparring with each other.

Still though, he knows that Gohan will not be happy. Who knows what will happen once he finds out? Dende is one of his best friends. When he finds out that Dende allowed this to occur he will probably not want anything to do with him anymore.

"**It's the only way. Gohan will appreciate this later."**

Piccolo's final words to him ring through his ears once again. Piccolo may be right, but that doesn't mean he has to like it!

Dende is brought out of his inner musings when he and Goten reach the kitchen. Goten immediately rushes to the fridge to see what he can get to eat while Dende follows from behind. The chibi demi-saiyan starts pulling out various things from the fridge and setting them on the counter. The sight makes Dende smile and temporarily forget what he's going to be doing after this. The chibi has no clue what half the stuff he's pulling out even is, let alone if it will go well with anything else.

He immediately approaches Goten and puts a hand on the chibi's shoulder, causing the demi-saiyan to stop his rampage on the fridge and look up at the Guardian of the Earth curiously. "Why don't you let me get the food Goten," he softly suggests. "I think I will be able to fix you something tasty, don't you worry!"

Upon hearing the Namekian's promise, Goten reluctantly retreats from the fridge and sits at the table, now impatiently waiting for the Namekian to prepare him something to eat. He really can't wait too much longer. He's hungry!

Dende quickly gets out some meat, mayo, various veggies and some bread and puts the rest of what Goten took out back into the fridge. He then makes haste preparing two sandwiches, a small one for himself and a gigantic one for Goten that would normally feed twelve people easily. Once he's finished, he gives Goten his sandwich, who quickly speaks a word of thanks before digging in. Dende chuckles a bit at the child's antics before putting everything back in the fridge, sitting down at the table, and starting on his sandwich at a more mundane pace.

Eventually the two finish their snack and Dende dreadfully gets ready for answering Goten's question. He has to reassure himself once again that what he's doing is the right thing before finally addressing Goten, who is currently contently relaxed in his chair after the small meal he just finished.

"Hey Goten," he starts, causing the chibi to lazily turn his head in Dende's direction. "How would you like to see your dad when he was your age?"

The demi-saiyan's eyes suddenly get wide and light up in excitement, causing Dende to internally wince. He knows that it will not be a pleasant trip to the past, but like Piccolo said, it has to be done. "Yeah!" Goten replies, much enthusiasm present in his voice. He then tilts his head curiously to the side, but a grin is still present on his face. "How are we gonna do that though?"

"Well, do you remember that room I showed you when I gave you that tour?" the guardian questions the chibi. "The one that can take you back in time?"

"Yeah! Daddy told me about that one! He called it the pench… penchu… penchulim room!"

"The pendulum room, yes," Dende answers the chibi. "Well, we're gonna use that room to go see your dad when he was your age, and this will also answer your question about why he wants to teach you martial arts."

"Oh wow!" Goten excitedly chirps. Not only will he be able to get his question answered, but he will get to see his daddy when he was little!

He really can't wait now!

He quickly makes his way over to the young Namekian and tugs on his robe. "Common! I wanna see my daddy as a little kid!" he commands, eagerly awaiting his overseer to lead the way to the pendulum room.

Dende sighs and reluctantly starts leading his young charge to the pendulum room. He really doesn't want to do this since he has no clue how the chibi will respond to his father figure getting abducted and knocked out, not to mention what happened to his actual father. Sure the young Namekian wasn't around back then but he's heard stories of what happened from Piccolo. Gohan on the other hand had never told him anything about the incident, showing just how much it traumatized him, even still today.

He most certainly won't approve.

While Dende is going through these thoughts in his head, Goten is beyond excited. He always wondered what his daddy was like at his age. Was he as fun to play with as he is now? Did he have as many friends? Was his daddy's daddy as awesome as his is? He just can't wait to find out! He also would like to play with his daddy if possible, but the young chibi isn't sure if it is or not, so he asks the young Namekian leading the way. "Hey Mr. Dende sir?"

Dende shakes his thoughts on the matter long enough to respond to the chibi. "Yeah Goten?"

"Will I be able to play with my daddy when I see him?" the curious chibi asks.

Dende frowns a tad. "Sorry kiddo, but the way we're gonna be using it, everyone in the past won't be able to see you and you won't be able to touch them at all."

Indeed there are two ways that the pendulum room can be used. The first use is to use it as a training mechanism. When used this way, you can send people into a mindscape where they can freely roam around the past setting where they were sent. This allows them to interact with the past environment around them, thus also allowing them to interact with people as well. What this does is it gives them a good simulation of enemies, although it is limited to how they were back when the memory is from. When Goku trained with Kami way back when he was a teenager himself as well as when the earthling warriors trained to fight the saiyans several years back, this is the way the pendulum room was utilized.

The other use for it is to be able to view past events without any interference whatsoever. In this method, the people viewing the events can only look on as if they are in a theatre and watch the events unfold from the sidelines; they do not come in contact with people in the past event, thus are in no danger whatsoever. This is the best method to use if trying to observe certain events from an outsider's perspective, and this is also the method Dende is going to use with Goten.

The chibi's expression drops at not being able to play with his chibi daddy. However, he still will be able to see him as a kid, and it's with these thoughts that his mood perks up once more. He's about to speak again when Dende stops in front of one of the doors.

"Well this is it Goten," the Earth's Guardian states, opening the door and leading Goten in. He's suddenly more anxious now than ever, knowing that he's about to send this innocent chibi into the past where he will witness the main motivation for why Gohan is so insistent on training Goten, even when it's evident that the chibi doesn't want to fight. This could work out very badly since this could really scar the chibi.

If Piccolo is right however, then this will not only make Goten understand why Gohan wants to train him, but also give him motivation to fulfill said training. He just hopes that Goten can handle what he's about to see.

Goten eagerly follows Dende into the pendulum room and is awed by the sight. It is a dark room with not much in it, but what is in it is stunning. A gigantic pendulum is hanging in the center of the room, swinging back and forth at a lazy pace. The sheer size of the object intimidates the chibi. On the floor directly underneath the pendulum is a strange circular pattern. It looks mystifying to the chibi and he finds himself drawn to it.

"This is the pendulum room Goten," Dende explains. "Through this room, you will be sent back eleven years into the past, when your dad was no older than you are now. You will witness an event that he experienced back then and see for yourself why he insists you train in martial arts. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Goten looks up at the Guardian of the Earth with big, onyx eyes. "Will you be going with me?"

Dende shakes his head negatively. "Sorry Goten, I can't. I have to stay here to power the room. Without my powers as guardian this room won't work."

Goten's mood drops a bit, disappointed that his friend can't come with him, but finds himself ready to see his daddy as a kid regardless. It should be a blast! "Aww man! That's too bad, but I guess I understand. I'm ready now Mr. Dende!"

The young Namekian nods to the chibi stoically in reply. Then he gestures over to the circle underneath the pendulum. "Alright Goten, then I want you to stand in the middle of that circle on the ground. After that, close your eyes and you will be transported to the past."

Goten nods energetically in response and quickly makes his way to the center of the circle on the ground and closes his eyes with haste. Dende internally sighs before closing his own eyes and outstretching his arms, focusing his ki on his guardian powers. He mentally mutters the setting of which he wants to send Goten to and the pendulum starts swinging back and forth more rapidly. Eventually, a streak of light explodes out of it and zaps the chibi in the circle.

Goten is now in the past, and will stay there until the scene is complete.

No turning back now.

* * *

_~Kame House, Kame Island, Age 661~_

_Goten opens his eyes and finds himself flying over open water. Startled by this realization, he looks around to see what's going on. It's at this moment that he realizes that he doesn't have a physical body either when he looks down and can't see his hands or arms or legs! This stuns the chibi further since he has no clue what the heck is going on! He thought he was supposed to see his daddy as a little kid!_

_Where is he?_

_Eventually he sets his wondering eyes on a small yellow cloud that is flying right below him. The chibi grins, recognizing the cloud instantly as the Flying Nimbus that his daddy showed him for his birthday last year. At the same time though, the chibi is confused. Why is he following Nimbus? Is it leading him somewhere? _

_It is then that the chibi finally notices two figures that are riding the cloud. From this angle he can't make out whom it is that is riding it though. He then realizes that while he doesn't have a physical body, he can move the picture to get a closer look at the figures, so that's what the chibi does and what he sees startles him further._

_He sees a man in a bright orange gi wearing a blue undershirt and dark blue boots sitting cross-legged on the cloud with a small boy in the same kimono outfit that he got for his third birthday. Even though he's a lot younger, Goten immediately recognizes his daddy as the little chibi, but the man confuses him. He looks nearly identical to himself, right down to the hairstyle and dark onyx eyes! Although this man looks like himself, he has never seen him before in his life and has no clue who he is. _

_As Goten ponders the thought further, the Nimbus starts to descend, and Goten automatically follows suit. He then notices the island that they're heading towards has a big house on it that says "kame" on the side of it. The man suddenly picks up his daddy and jumps off the nimbus, landing on the sand of the beach. Goten follows them down and notices that there's nobody outside. _

_The chibi finds himself once again confused. Where is this place? Why are they here? He figures that they are visiting the person that lives in the house, making the chibi subsequently wonder who exactly lives here on an island in the middle of the ocean?_

_Goten is startled out of his thoughts when the man starts yelling at the house. "Yoo hoo! Anybody home?!" the man shouts. _

_The chibi demi-saiyan from the present can hear a commotion from inside the house and then suddenly the door bursts open, surprising both himself and his chibi dad. Out of the doorway comes a young, blue-haired woman with matching sapphire eyes. Quickly following the woman is a short bald man with dark brown eyes and four dots on his bald head. Goten also notices that he is wearing the same uniform that the man he followed here is. _

"_Goku!" they both shout, causing the man carrying his daddy to grin in response and wave with his free hand. _

"_Hey Bulma, Krillin!" he enthusiastically greets in return, causing the gears in Goten's head to turn. He remembers those names from somewhere, but can't quite put a name on where. _

_The blue-haired woman, now known as 'Bulma' suddenly glares at the man, causing him to visibly flinch under her gaze. "Goku! I can't believe you! It has been over four years, _four years_ since we've last seen you! What's wrong with you?! Are we not even important enough to you that you can't take the time to say hello anymore?! The last time I saw you was when Gohan was born! I know you're busy with him but you could still at least call!"_

_A guilty look crosses Goku's face as Goten realizes the implications of Bulma's words. She was there when his daddy was born? "I'm sorry Bulma, you're right." Goku answers. "I have been busy raising this little guy here, but you know you could have come visited us too…"_

_An incredulous expression crosses Bulma's face. "Yeah, and where would that be? Some random house in the woods? We have no clue where you live Goku! Ever think of that?"_

_A puzzled expression takes the place of Goku's guilty one. "No, not really, but Krillin could have easily found me by feeling for my ki."_

"_Hey don't drag me into this!" the bald monk suddenly interjects, waving his arms in front of him in a dismissing motion. This causes the chibi in Goku's arms to giggle, startling the others out of their heated argument. _

"_Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Goku suddenly exclaims, now looking down at the chibi in his arms. "I brought Gohan here to meet you guys. Say 'hello' Gohan." he gently insists, setting the chibi on the ground. _

_Gohan goes into a bow and formally greets his dad's friends. "Hello, my name is Gohan!" he greets enthusiastically. Bulma and Krillin are amused by how well his manners are, and reciprocate the chibi's gesture. _

"_Hey Gohan!" the bald monk replies to the child. "My name's Krillin and this is Bulma," he introduces, gesturing to the blue haired beauty. Once finished, he approaches the chibi Gohan and kneels to his level. "So what's it like to have Goku here as your daddy?" _

_The statement causes Gohan to grin and Goten's eyes to widen in both shock and understanding. This man that looks like him is his daddy's daddy? As the conversations on the island kept going on he was thinking that more and more, but it still is a surprise to him nonetheless. He never got to meet his daddy's daddy but now he has! _

_Meanwhile, Gohan answers Krillin's question. "He's an awesome daddy! The best daddy in the world and I love him very much, even though he's been making me fight since my birthday..." he trails off. "I don't like that much."_

_This shocks both Krillin and Bulma, as well as Goten, who for as long as he's known his daddy has always liked martial arts. But if his daddy didn't like martial arts when he was his age, then why is his daddy so insistent he train now? _

_Krillin and Bulma are thoroughly shocked because both of his parents are fighters. It's so shocking that it causes Bulma to question the chibi. "Why don't you like to fight Gohan?" _

_The little chibi shrugs as he answers. "I don't like to hurt people, even if they are trying to hurt me. Plus why do I need to fight when I have my daddy? He will always protect me!" he adds, grinning up at Goku. _

_Goten finds himself wide-eyed. His chibi daddy is just like him! He even has the same reasons! _

_As the present-timeline chibi continues his thoughts, Goku smiles at his son and kneels down to his level as well. "You know I will little man," he answers lovingly, pulling him into a hug. "And if you don't want to fight that's okay with me son. I just thought you'd enjoy it like me, plus you have so much potential! But I guess your mom will be happy to hear that you don't like fighting." _

_Goku really had no clue that his son didn't like to fight. This whole time, Gohan hadn't shown any displeasure when training with him and always did anything he instructed him to do. His little man has seemed to soak up everything like a sponge too! He learns things really easily, a trait that Chichi has recently started taking advantage of by making the little guy study. Plus Goku has been able to sense something deep within his son: a power beyond his comprehension and that has made him even more eager to train his son. _

_As much as it pains him to hear that his son doesn't like to fight though, he truly means it when he says that he's okay with him not fighting. He'll still love his little man anyway, even if he never trains another day in his life._

_Bulma and Krillin look upon the scene with soft smiles. Goku, despite the fact that he was completely clueless of how children were even made until just a few years ago, seems to be an amazing dad already, a fact that doesn't get by Goten either. He seems just as nice as his daddy! _

_This is the scene that Master Roshi walks in on. "Hey Goku!" the old turtle master greets, causing Goku to look up from his son and to the sound of the familiar voice. _

_Picking up his son once more, Goku greets his old sensei. "Hey Master Roshi! Long time no see!"_

_The martial arts master's sunglasses shimmer in the sun. "Indeed is has Goku. I see you've been busy with the little one. I noticed that you named him after your grandfather, no?"_

_Goku nods in agreement with his former sensei. "Yep, plus the little guy seemed to really like it. When it was suggested he wouldn't stop giggling and grinning like mad."_

_The turtle hermit nods and makes his way over to the duo. He then looks at Gohan through his sunglasses. "Hello young one," he greets in a wise tone. "I'm Roshi, your dad's first sensei in martial arts. He learned his basics from me." _

_Gohan smiles and reciprocates the greeting with enthusiasm. "Hi Master Roshi! I'm Gohan!"_

"_Did you know Gohan, that I was also the one to teach your great-grandfather, who you were named after?" Roshi asks, causing the chibi's eyes to widen in astonishment._

"_No!" he excitedly answers. "Wow, you must be really old!" he exclaims, causing Roshi to face-fault and everyone else to laugh. Goten just looks on in confusion. What did his daddy say that was so funny? He eventually just shrugs it off as an adult thing. _

_The laughter suddenly stops however when everyone who can sense ki (everyone on the island besides Bulma and Gohan) feels a dark ki coming straight towards them. Initially they think it's Piccolo, but they soon discard that thought when they realize how different, yet familiar it feels..._

_And how mind-bogglingly powerful it is. _

_Goku quickly gives Gohan to Bulma. The chibi protests this weakly, but eventually settles in the woman's arms. Despite the fact that she yelled at his daddy earlier, she seemed really nice when talking to him, plus he's used to his mommy yelling at his daddy at home. Goku then, along with Krillin and Master Roshi, gets into a defensive stance preparing for this dark ki that's coming, leaving Bulma and Gohan confused as to what's going on._

_Goten is just as confused as Bulma and his chibi dad. While the chibi can sense ki, he's just a beginner and his range isn't that wide yet, not to mention that in this simulation mode of the pendulum room he can't feel ki at all anyways. He notices that his daddy's daddy is looking towards the sky with a fierce battle glare and this makes the chibi nervous. He's never seen that kind of expression on his daddy before, so seeing it on his daddy's daddy scares the chibi._

_Goten notices that his daddy is nervous as well, and this shocks him. As long he's known his daddy, he's never been nervous about anything! Sure, he's felt him scared before, but that was mostly because he was worried about him. This is the very first time that he's seen an outside force scare his daddy. _

_Eventually, a speck makes itself known in the sky where everyone is staring. The speck quickly gets larger and larger until a person can be made out. As the person starts to get closer, the person gets more and more distinguishable until Goten can make out that it's a rather large man flying towards the island. This man ends up dropping out of the sky and landing on his feet right on the beach in front of the house. The appearance of the man shocks everyone, Goten included._

_The man is tall, more than six inches taller than Goku, and built like a tank. He is wearing a strange armor that no one on the island has ever seen: it has a white breast-plate with yellow shoulder pads that come out of it with the under armor appearing to be a black spandex suit. On his face is a strange looking device that comes off of an earpiece with a green, glass looking component that goes over one of his eyes. _

_What shocks everyone most about the man though is how strikingly similar his face is to Goku. If you were to stand them side-by-side, you would see that they have similar facial features and the same dark onyx eyes. In fact, the only big differences between the two men are the fact that the stranger's hair goes all the way down his back and the fact that he has a widow's peak, which Goku doesn't. Even then, the type of hair is the same: incredibly spiky and untamed._

_This is particularly shocking to Goten. This new man looks even more like his daddy than his daddy's actual daddy! If he hadn't seen what he did earlier, he would have assumed that this new man was his daddy's daddy, due to just how similar they look. _

"_Kakarot!" the man suddenly yells, startling everyone out of their thoughts. "Why are there still people living on this planet!? Better yet, why on earth are you associating yourself with these natives?!"_

_Everyone looks around nervously to see who the strange man is talking to. Who is Kakarot? Better yet, why is he asking why people are still alive, as if this 'Kakarot' was supposed to kill everyone? Obviously by the feel of this guy as well as from the implications of what he just said, they conclude that whoever this guy is, along with this 'Kakarot' aren't friends. _

_Eventually after no one speaks up, the man gets impatient and growls out his questions. "Are you deaf Kakarot? I asked you why you haven't eradicated all life on this planet like you were supposed to?!" he shouts this last part while looking Goku dead in the eye for some reason. That's when it hits everyone:_

_This man is referring to Goku!_

_How this person knows Goku and why he keeps addressing him as Kakarot they have no clue. They also have no idea why he is scolding him for not killing everyone on the planet, but Goku has had enough! He wants to know who this guy is and what he's doing here so he finally speaks up._

"_I don't know why you keep calling me Kakarot, but my name is Goku!" he retorts commandingly, surprising Goten with the amount of command and confidence in his response. His daddy's daddy doesn't seem to be afraid of a threat, despite how intimidating it looks. "And I have no clue why you think I would kill anyone since I hate to kill to begin with, plus I like it here!"_

_The strange man looks absolutely appalled by what Goku just said for some reason, as if what he said is completely and utterly ridiculous. "Are you insane Kakarot? How could you forget your mission? Furthermore, how could you forget your name? Do you even know who I am?" _

_When Goku shakes his head negatively, the stranger loses it, screaming out loud and tossing his hands in the air in frustration. "You've got to be kidding me! I have no clue how, but somehow you lost your memory! Well then, allow me to enlighten you Kakarot… somehow you lost your memory and now believe that you're one of these pathetic natives. Not all of that is true though."_

_Everyone is confused where this strange man is going with this. What does he mean that Goku lost his memory? Why does he keep calling them natives? Before their thoughts can gather to put together the obvious, this strange man continues. "While you are indeed pathetic Kakarot, you are not native to this planet," he suddenly states, causing all present besides Goten and Master Roshi to go wide eyed. _

_Goten had learned that his daddy's daddy wasn't from Earth and that he's actually part of a race called the 'saiyans' when he asked his daddy why he had a tail, so this particular statement doesn't come as a shock to the chibi. Roshi on the other hand looks like this new knowledge doesn't surprise him, as he has a look of deep thought on his face. Everyone else though is incredibly shocked._

_The man scowls at Goku's surprise. He was hoping that that would trigger his memory of who he actually is, but apparently his amnesia is permanent. He was hoping that he could save Kakarot and bring him back with him, but without any memories of who he is, the fool will be more of a liability than an asset. He sighs before he continues, "No, you were born on the planet Vegeta with the name Kakarot, and you are a part of an elite warrior race called the saiyans. You were sent here when you were a baby with the order to kill every life form on this planet so that we can sell it to the highest bidder. Somehow though you must have lost your memory during this time!" he adds angrily._

_Goten, along with everyone else finds this information preposterous. The chibi from the present is incredibly shocked that this man could even suggest killing one person, let alone _everyone_. He has never seen someone with such a horrible philosophy before and it scares him. Goten finds this man to be incredibly scary, despite how much like his daddy he looks. _

"_You're lying!" Goku retorts incredulously. It can't be true! He can't be a part of a warrior alien race! He couldn't have been sent here to kill everyone! "You must be! I would never do something like that! How do I know you're even telling the truth?!"_

"_Kakarot you really are a baka!" the man shouts back. "I still can't believe you haven't figured it out yet, even if you did lose your memory! We share the same blood! I'm a saiyan warrior just as you are, but we share more than that… otouto!_

_For what seems like the thousandth time since this man came to the island, everyone is once again shocked at what this man said, including Goten. Did he just call Goku his brother?_

_The man smirks at Goku. "That's right Kakarot. My name is Raditz and I'm your oniisan!"_

_Goku is beside himself in shock. How could this be his brother? He immediately denies the thought. "No! You can't be my oniisan! We're nothing alike!"_

_The man now known as Raditz glares at Goku. "Oh really Kakarot? Take a good look at me and say that I'm not!" It is also at this time where he unwraps a brown furry tail from around his waist, causing everyone to gasp. _

_He has a tail just like Goku used to! _

_Goku studies the man closely, and the more he looks at the man, the more and more he can actually see it. He can see just how similar to himself this man looks, right down to the eyes and facial features. This man even has a tail just like he used to! He then comes to a painful realization:_

_This man is telling the truth. _

_He's his older brother. _

_Goten however still doesn't see how it's possible for this guy to be Goku's brother. His daddy told him that brothers are supposed to care for each other; that they are supposed to be close and that they should be similar to each other; that they're supposed to love each other. However, it's very clear to the four year old that this isn't the case with these two, so how are they brothers?_

_Raditz sees the understanding on Goku's face and his smirk widens. "Ah, so now you finally see that I'm telling the truth! Well then Kakarot, I'll give you an offer," he suddenly announces, causing everyone, while still fearful of what this saiyan will do to them, to become curious as of what he's talking about. _

_Raditz on the other hand is still trying to find a way to redeem his brother. Maybe, just maybe, now that he knows who he really is, Kakarot will join him and his comrades. _

_If this fails though, he will have no choice but to kill his own brother._

_The act in itself wouldn't be too hard to carry out. He is a great deal stronger than his brother, plus he has no emotional attachment to the man due to the fact that he hasn't seen him since he was a baby. No, he wouldn't have a problem killing Kakarot. _

_However, as pathetic as he is, his brother is still a saiyan, and those are few in number these days and thus are valuable. "You see Kakarot, right after you were born, a giant meteor stuck our home planet, destroying it on impact as well as the rest of our warrior race. There are only four of us left: You, the General of the Saiyan Army Nappa, our Prince Vegeta, and myself. We could use all of the saiyans we can get."_

_Everyone continues to listen to Raditz as he speaks, just soaking up everything that he has revealed. It's a lot to take in. Raditz continues with his explanation. "Recently we have come across a planet that would be worth a fortune on the planetary trade market. However, the natives are strong and we need more help. The three of us alone would have a difficult time, but with another saiyan we could easily conquer it. I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Kill 100 earthlings by this time tomorrow and bring their bodies to me. This will show me that you would be capable of carrying out your duties."_

_Goku is disgusted with what his brother told him to do. Immediately he responds to him. "Never!" he passionately shouts. "I will never join you! I don't care if I am actually a saiyan from a different planet! As far as I'm concerned, I'm not a saiyan warrior named Kakarot, I'm an earthling named Goku Son!" _

_Goku's passionate statement causes Raditz to scowl menacingly at Goku while causing everyone else to ease up with relief. While deep down, they knew that Goku would never do something like that, they were still nervous nonetheless. Hearing him deny this saiyan even after everything he heard comforts everyone and now they have more confidence as a result. They know that they will most likely have to fight this saiyan, but with Goku on their side, they have confidence that they will somehow win._

_After all, when has Goku failed them before?_

_This is also a trait that Goten has felt as well. While he's only just met the man, the chibi is glad that his daddy's daddy is refusing to do what this mean man says. He also gets a similar feeling from him that he gets from his daddy when determined to do something. It makes the chibi feel like nothing will go wrong._

_Throughout this whole situation, Goten has been able to see just how similar he and his daddy are to each other when he was a chibi. It seems that they both have the exact same mindset when it comes to fighting and martial arts. It also seems that they both have awesome daddies that treat them the same way. His daddy must have gotten his amazing parenting skills from his own daddy._

"_You're a fool Kakarot," Raditz finally states after a moment of letting his brother's statement to settle in. Now he really will have to kill Kakarot, and come back to Prince Vegeta empty handed, something he doesn't want to do. After all, he did promise that he would bring Kakarot with him, but like he thought earlier, if his brother doesn't cooperate, he will be more of a liability. He is about to announce his decision to kill Kakarot right then and there when he spots something very interesting. _

_A boy in the lone female's arms._

_More specifically a boy with a brown, furry _tail_!_

_He is shocked that he didn't notice the tyke before! Apparently Kakarot has mated with one of the natives of this planet and produced an offspring! Raditz looks upon the boy with great interest. Perhaps there is a way to get Kakarot to cooperate after all. _

_And if not, he can just take the boy._

"_I see you have a son Kakarot," Raditz suddenly announces, making everyone go wide eyed at his observation. "Yes, it's quite obvious with his saiyan tail. Alright, if you won't come with me, than I guess I'll just have to take your son instead!"_

_Everyone gasps incredulously, Goten included. He can't mean it! He can't take his daddy away! The characters from the past have similar reactions to this new development, but no one reacts as strongly as Goku, who is absolutely furious at what Raditz said. If he even _thinks_ about taking Gohan…_

_Raditz slowly makes his way towards Bulma, who is still holding Gohan, but before he is able to even take three steps Goku is there right in front of him, an expression of rage on his face like none before. "You are NOT going to take Gohan!" he furiously shouts, throwing a wild, rage induced punch at his brother, who only smirks before catching it with one hand. This causes Goku, as well as everyone else to go wide eyed at how easy he made it look. _

"_Bad move otouto," Raditz replies before kneeing Goku right in the stomach while at the same time letting go of his hand, which sends him flying across the island and through Kame House. He then quickly makes his way towards Gohan, who jumped from Bulma's arms to run towards his daddy to see if he's okay. _

_Krillin makes a move towards the saiyan from behind, but before he can even get a punch thrown, Raditz turns around and punches the bald monk across the face, sending the poor monk flying into the ocean. With the two main threats out of the way, Raditz makes his way to his nephew unimpaired and violently jerks him up from behind by the back of his kimono. _

_At this point poor Gohan is crying his little eyes out. He's completely terrified of what's happening! His daddy's hurt and now this mean man is trying to take him away from him! Raditz ignores his nephew's cries for the moment and glares towards the interior of Kame House where he knows his brother is. _

"_You have one day Kakarot. My deal still stands. Kill 100 earthlings and bring them to me by this time tomorrow and you can come with your son and I. If you don't, I'll just kill you along with everyone on this planet and take my nephew with me. It's your choice otouto, and I hope for your sake you make the right one!" As soon as he finishes that statement, he levitates off of the ground and starts to fly off. _

_Goten finds himself terrified like never before. He's terrified for his daddy, and finds himself following along with Raditz as he flies away with him. He just can't get it through his head how someone can be so cruel as to take a child so young against his will and not even care! He follows the duo with thoughts similar to this running through his mind the entire journey._

* * *

_~Random Farm, 513 Farming District~_

_Eventually, Goten finds that Raditz is finally landing. He can see a giant crater in the middle of what looks like an otherwise relatively calm and peaceful farmland area. In the middle of the crater lies a spherical pod of some sort that the chibi from the present doesn't recognize at all._

_As soon as the duo of Raditz and his daddy land, the full-blooded saiyan roughly tosses Gohan to the ground. The poor chibi hasn't stopped crying the entire time since he's been so terrified, and his uncle's actions aren't helping one bit to calm him down. _

_Eventually Raditz's patience runs thin. "Shut up!" he commands violently. "Stop crying! You're a saiyan for Vegeta's sake!"_

_However instead of getting his desired effect of silence, Gohan only starts to cry harder, eliciting a growl from the adult saiyan. "This kid is going to drive me insane!" he shouts. It's then that he spots his ship and he suddenly gets an idea. He immediately grabs Gohan to by the back of his kimono once more and carries him over to the ship. He then opens it before roughly tossing the chibi inside and closing the door. He can see his nephew still crying through the red window but he can't hear him anymore. _

_Silence._

_Raditz lets out a sigh of relief and internally gives himself a pat on the back for his genius idea. He then finds himself incredibly hungry. Dealing with that whiny brat really took a lot out of him so he walks off to find something to eat. _

_Goten however finds himself frozen in fear, just staring at the space pod where his daddy is now held captive. He can still see him crying his eyes out and now he's even pounding at the red window in an attempt to escape his prison. He never in a million years would have ever thought that he would see his daddy so distraught, so terrified, so… _

_Helpless. _

_It really breaks the chibi from the present's heart to see his daddy like this, even if he is only a chibi at this time. He finds that he can't take his eyes off of his chibi father at all, not even when Raditz comes back from wherever he went. _

_He suddenly is filled with the overwhelming urge to help his daddy, but he knows it's not possible. He can only observe as his daddy continues to struggle and cry. And then, Goten sees something that really makes his heart hurt, so much that he gets the urge to cry. _

_He sees that his daddy stopped pounding at the glass and stopped his crying. Now he is just sitting in the pod with his head in his knees that are drawn up to his chest, looking completely defeated. _

_His daddy gave up. _

_Goten is beyond hurt from the sight. That picture is one of a completely defeated and hopeless boy. His daddy looks as if he lost his fight, his spirit, his soul. This scares Goten even more than the crying, desperate Gohan from before. At least then he was trying to fight his captivity. Now he looks like he has just accepted his fate. _

_Goten continues to stare at his chibi father. The sight of him so helpless and defeated scares the chibi, yet despite that he can't look away, in fear that his daddy might just lose his will to live on him as well. Even though he would realize that this wouldn't make sense if he thought about it for a minute since his daddy is obviously still alive in the present, fear has taken away the chibi's ability to think rationally at the moment._

_So focused on his chibi father is Goten that he doesn't even notice the fact that Goku arrived at the scene with Piccolo, or the fact that they are currently fighting for their lives unsuccessfully. Only when he sees his daddy suddenly look up at the sky in horror does Goten realize that something is going on around him, and what he sees horrifies the chibi further. _

_He sees Goku falling out of the sky, badly hurt from something that happened. He hits the ground with a thud and immediately Raditz goes over to him and stomps on the younger saiyan's chest, eliciting a scream of pain from him._

_Taking pleasure from his little brother's screams of pain, Raditz smirks down while increasing the pressure on his brother's chest, internally grinning when he hears his brother's sternum start to crack. "You fought well otouto! But not well enough to save your life. This is the end for you!" The saiyan then raises his right hand to the sky and forms a ki ball in his hand that will obliterate his brother completely. Goten can only stare on in horror at what is happening. _

"_Now say goodby–" Raditz is cut off by his scouter on his face going crazy. He turns his head towards where it's pointing out its disturbance and can't find anything. _

_Meanwhile, Goten follows the saiyan's gaze and is completely shocked at what he sees: _

_The space pod is cracking!_

_He looks further and can see that his daddy isn't curled up in defeat anymore, but instead has a look of pure fury on his face. He can also see that there's a strange glow around his daddy that radiates pure power. The sight, while frightening due to the expression on his daddy's face, gives the chibi from the present hope. _

_A few moments later the space pod explodes, shattering into hundreds of pieces and Gohan comes flying out of it. He lands on the ground right outside the crater, facing his saiyan uncle who he just found out about today. His expression hasn't changed and that strange glow is still around the chibi's form._

_Raditz and Piccolo both look on the scene with awe. Both can see just how much power is radiating off of the boy, Raditz thanks to his scouter and Piccolo thanks to his ki sensing ability. They both can't help but gawk at the boy. _

_But Gohan doesn't waste any time. Immediately he glares at Raditz and subconsciously starts focusing his power. Then with a final shout, Gohan acts. "Leave my daddy alone!" the chibi furiously shouts, now charging his uncle with unbelievable speed that not even the saiyan can keep up with. All of that concentrated ki comes out in a devastating head butt to his uncle's abdomen, causing said saiyan's armor to shatter at the impact site as he coughs up blood from the intensity of the hit. The saiyan then goes flying backwards through the air, eventually landing on his back, and dry heaving from the blow his four year old nephew gave him. _

_Goten cheers for his daddy while Piccolo looks on stunned. While Goku is also surprised by the power of his son, he also looks on with a knowing look. _This_ is the power he sensed from Gohan. He knew that his son was something special. _

_But at the same time, Goku is now worried since now that he's snapped out of his rage, Gohan no longer has that power he had before, and Goku is completely helpless to stop Raditz when he finally finds the strength to get up. _

_Raditz is beyond surprised by his nephew's display of power. He had a ki level greater than even his own! How is that possible!? He's only four years old! _

_All he knows is that his nephew is a much bigger threat than he gave him credit for. Lucky for him though, it seems that the brat can't control the power as of yet, but if he ever learned how, he could become even more powerful than Prince Vegeta! _

_And that scares the living crap out of the saiyan._

_It is then that he makes his decision. His nephew must die. He can't allow him the chance to tap into that power once again, because one more blow like that and he would be out of commission. He's lucky that he had his saiyan armor on otherwise his nephew would have went right through his body! _

_It's with these thoughts in mind that the saiyan struggles his way back to his feet. Eventually he is standing, yet he still is clutching his stomach in pain. That brat can really pack a wallop! The saiyan then starts to make his way over to the chibi, trying his best to ignore the pain that is in his abdomen with every step. _

_Gohan meanwhile doesn't even notice his uncle's approach as he is now just waking up from a strange haze. He looks around confused. Wasn't he just in that space pod watching his daddy get beat up by that mean Raditz guy? How did he get out? Moreover, where's his daddy now? Did he beat the bad guy and save him from his entrapment? As he scans the field, his eyes set their sights on his beat up and broken daddy, who is staring back at him with a smile. Gohan becomes excited and instantly runs over to Goku. _

"_Daddy!" he enthusiastically shouts, jumping on Goku's chest to give him a big hug. Goku has to hold back a shout of pain as his son landed where Raditz's foot once was pressing down, but he doesn't care at the moment. All that matters is that his son is here with him. He would wrap his arms around his son to reciprocate the hug, but he can't find the strength to move his arms at all!_

_This tender moment however is short-lived since Goku can already sense that his brother is making his way over here. He immediately goes into protective dad mode and tells his son to escape while he can. "Gohan," Goku commands firmly, despite the overwhelming pain that even talking brings to him. It's crucial that his boy hear what he has to say. "Get out of here Gohan! Make your way back home! You need to escape while you still can!" _

_Gohan, still oblivious to his uncle's approach, pouts at his daddy and shakes his head defiantly. "No! I don't wanna leave you!"_

"_You don't have a choice!" a voice suddenly states from behind the chibi that sends a shiver up the boy's spine. He anxiously turns around to find himself face-to face with his Uncle Raditz. His expression turns to one of fear and the boy starts whimpering. _

_Raditz immediately winds up a punch and decks Gohan right in the noggin, sending the chibi flying in the opposite direction. The chibi was so off guard that he is instantly knocked out before he even hits the ground, where he continues to sprawl for another good twenty feet before finally stopping. Goten cries out in horror at this and he suddenly finds himself extremely worried about his daddy's well-being. _

_He makes the picture go over to where his daddy is and what he sees makes him pale. His daddy is not moving at all, not even breathing! _

_He looks to be as good as dead! _

_This causes the chibi to shriek out in agony at what he thinks is his daddy's death. He starts bawling his eyes out in pure sadness and grief before the world all around him starts to become blurry as Raditz approaches his chibi father. _

_And then suddenly, Goten's world fades to black._

* * *

Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

ki- energy

baka- idiot


	9. Cutting Ties

**A/N: Hey everybody! Here is chapter 8! It's a little earlier than I normally post, but I felt like posting it a bit early today. ****As per usual, I have a note to address about this chapter:**

**Some people may find the Gohan in this chapter a bit OOC on the Lookout. Keep in mind that one, he is not in the best state of mind when it comes to his situation with his father, and two, that he is incredibly protective of Goten. These are things that will be pointed out in the chapter as well, but I just thought that it would be worth mentioning here as well. **

**This is a notice about this story in general. While writing has picked up for me in the last few weeks, it will eventually lessen, specifically in four weeks. That is when I begin my second year of pharmacy school. While that in itself is exciting, it will definitely cut down on my writing quite a bit as I have heard from previous classes that th second year is the most challenging as well. For Legacy Through Courage, Pharm school really didn't hinder me much since it wasn't too difficult to find time to write last year, but this time around could be a problem. **

**The reason I say this is because it could limit how often I post chapters for this story. I may have to end up doing bi-weekly updates to keep a consistent schedule. I just thought I would let you guys know that right now in case it boils down to that, which it very well might. **

**Now enough sad stuff! This chapter has plenty of that already! Hopefully you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 8: Cutting Ties

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower, Age 772~

Fear is the only emotion Goten can feel as his eyes snap open. He can't even tell that he is physically crying until he sees a drop fall onto the floor of the room. That's when he snaps his head up and realizes that he is back in the pendulum room. He tries to reassure himself that it was just a dream that his daddy had been killed right in front of his eyes, but he finds it difficult to get the picture of his chibi daddy lying on the ground, motionless, only forcing him to cry harder.

The chibi immediately feels arms wrap around him, but this does little to calm him. In actuality it makes him a little mad and he shoves out of the arms, which turn out to be Dende's. Goten then glares at the Namekian, his face still puffed up, his eyes red, and his nose still runny from crying. A few tears escape his eyes but they only hold anger.

"Why did you show me _that_!" the chibi shouts furiously for the first time in his young life. Goten has never been this angry at someone before, and frankly, it scares him a little, but that's not what he's focused on at the moment.

Dende looks away from the chibi in shame, secretly seething Piccolo for making him do this. It turns out that he was right all along: Goten was deeply hurt by what he saw. How Piccolo couldn't have seen this coming is baffling to the young guardian. Finally though, he looks the glaring chibi in the eye and answers the child's question. "I'm sorry you had to see that Goten, but it's for your own good…"

Goten's glare hardens. How could seeing what he just saw be for his own good? The chibi is still so young that he has a hard time looking at the big picture and reasoning why it could possibly be even remotely good to have him see Raditz's attack! To him, all the guardian did was made him see his daddy's death, and there's absolutely _nothing_ good about that! "How could watching my daddy die possibly be good for me?!" Goten furiously shouts back.

Dende's eyes widen immensely at that statement. Gohan _died_? He thought that when Raditz attacked that Gohan got knocked out, at least that's what Piccolo had said. Did he see Goku die? But that wouldn't make sense either because one, Goten doesn't refer to him as 'daddy,' and two, he had specifically cut off the memory before that had happened.

He then realizes that Goten is only four years old and he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a person that is knocked out cold and someone who's dead. He immediately clarifies this for the chibi. "Goten, your dad didn't die that day. He was hurt so badly that he was knocked out."

The demi-saiyan's glare softens at the new information that his daddy didn't die, but he's still mad… and confused. "What does that mean?" he asks in a much softer voice than before.

The guardian of Earth is puzzled at what Goten is asking for a brief moment before figuring out that Goten doesn't know what getting knocked out even means. He ponders how he's going to explain the concept of being knocked unconscious to a four year old. "Well Goten, being knocked out is kind of like being in a forced deep sleep. When it happened to Gohan it was from taking an incredibly hard hit to the head."

Goten thinks over Dende's explanation of what happened to his daddy, sniffling due to his crying. So his daddy was just sleeping? That doesn't sound nearly as bad as what he had originally thought, and this brings some comfort to the chibi.

However, he still has no clue why Dende would force him to watch his daddy and his daddy's daddy get beat up by that mean guy. He doesn't see a point to that at all.

Sighing dejectedly, Goten lets go of his anger, which is replaced by sadness at what he saw. "I still don't know why you had to show me that though…" he replies much softer, his tears threatening to come back at the memory of what happened.

"Well Goten," Dende answers, now much more relieved that the chibi isn't mad anymore, "you asked me why your daddy wants to train you at your age, even though you don't like it and have him to protect you. Well it was that incident that you saw that motivated him to train you. I'll admit, even I was surprised at first, but when Piccolo explained it to me it made much more sense. Gohan just doesn't want you to be in the same situation that he was in. You saw what happened to him when his daddy was hurt. He didn't know how to defend himself and ended up getting hurt because of it."

The guardian really hopes that Goten can understand what he's trying to explain. He still thinks that what he made Goten go through wasn't wise to do at his age; he thought a simple explanation would have been just fine, but Piccolo had insisted they do it this way. Goten meanwhile is going over everything Dende had said in his head when suddenly his head shoots up and looks straight at the door. He's already making his way for the door when it suddenly bangs open.

In the doorway stands a super saiyan Gohan, looking frantically all over the room for his little boy. He sees Goten running towards him and he lets out a huge sigh of relief before quickly closing the gap and crushing the little chibi in a hug.

He can already feel his son calming down in his embrace, but he still feels like he's scared nonetheless. He goes through his usual comforting gestures with the boy, rubbing circles in his back with one hand while holding him close and running his other hand through his hair. He then takes a moment to see exactly where they are and his eyes widen when he realizes that they are in the pendulum room.

His mind quickly goes into gear and he wonders why Goten is in the pendulum room with Dende. What did he show him? Whatever it was must have been traumatizing to the poor chibi since he could feel nothing but horror and fear from his little boy for the longest time from outside the Lookout Palace.

That's the reason why he stopped in the middle of his spar with Piccolo. He only had one thought in mind and that was to get to Goten. Well actually scratch that; he had two thoughts in mind: get to Goten and make whoever made him feel this way pay.

Now he wants to know what his little boy saw.

Gohan feels through his bond that Goten has finally calmed down enough, so he takes Goten and sits down, pulling the chibi into his lap. "Goten… what did you see in here?" he asks gently, trying hard not to intimidate him.

Goten looks up at his daddy confused. "Why are you blonde daddy?"

This question puzzles Gohan for a moment before he realizes that he's still transformed. He immediately lets go of the transformation and his eyes and hair return to their normal onyx color. "Sorry Goten. I felt you were scared so I made sure that I got here as quickly as I could. I guess I was so focused on getting to you that I forgot to turn back," Gohan quickly explains to Goten. He gets back to his original question after seeing Goten accept his explanation. "But please son, tell me what you saw that made you so scared."

Goten sniffs, wiping his nose on his sleeve before answering. "I saw a mean guy attacking you and your daddy when you were really little…" he replies, feeling much more comfortable talking about it in his daddy's presence. This causes Gohan's eyes to widen before shooting a glare at Dende, who drops his head in defeat.

Gohan suddenly feels an anger that he hasn't felt for years start to rise in him, but he pushes it down for now. He can, and will, deal with that later. Right now though the little boy that he pledged his life to needs him and he will not deviate from that focus. Gohan hastily makes his move to comfort the chibi further, looking straight into Goten's eyes with nothing but understanding.

"Oh, I see Goten…" he replies. "I can see why that would upset you, but you don't have to worry. I'm still here, and I promise to never let what happened to me happen to you. You got that Goten?" he asks. Goten nods and gives Gohan a sad smile before hugging him again. His daddy always knows how to make him feel better.

Once the hug breaks Gohan stands up, holding the chibi demi-saiyan, who lets out a yawn. All of that trauma has really made the poor guy tired. Gohan then looks back at Dende seriously. "I think it's time we left. Don't worry though, I'll be back to discuss what exactly happened here."

Gohan says all of this in a low tone, but it makes Dende gulp and nod weakly. Seeing his friend's answer, Gohan quickly makes his way out of the pendulum room leaving Dende there all by himself to ponder exactly what Gohan meant by 'discussing' what happened.

He just has a bad feeling that it won't be a pleasant discussion.

* * *

~987 South District~

Gohan sports a concerned frown on his face, putting Goten in his bed. The chibi was so exhausted from what had happened earlier that he fell asleep during the fly home.

The teenage dad admits that he is definitely concerned for his son. So far, Goten has slept rather peacefully, but Gohan expects that by tonight the nightmares will come. If what Goten said was true (and he knows it is: why would Goten lie to him?) then his son had seen a dark event in his life, and he knows exactly which one too.

The one that started it all.

Gohan still can't believe that Dende let Goten see the time Raditz came to Earth! He should have known just how traumatizing it could be to Goten. Heck! Gohan still has nightmares about it. There was only three times in his life where he felt more helpless and horrified than in the moments he was trapped in that space pod, watching his father get beaten to a pulp by his 'uncle:' when he watched Piccolo sacrifice himself for him by taking Nappa's blast, when his dad took the blow that was meant for him during his fight with Bojack, and when his children from the future were heading towards the spiked wall when he was still struggling with his saiyan side.

It makes him furious that Dende would even allow it to occur, and he doesn't know exactly how, but he knows that Piccolo was involved with this as well. It just blows his mind how they couldn't take into account how Goten would react to it! And there's another thing that he wants to know:

Why did they show him that event in the first place?

He's puzzled as for the motivation of their actions. What came up to make them think that such a precaution was necessary? These are questions he wants answered… and soon! After all of this is clarified, then he will make a decision on whether or not to cut ties with the two Namekians.

Gohan was deeply affected when he found out that Goten's scare was due to the actions of who he thought was one of his best friends. The teenage demi-saiyan may be an overall trusting and kind individual, but when it comes to Goten he is extremely protective. The Guardian of the Earth was one of only four people that Gohan trusted with Goten, and he just betrayed that trust.

Now Gohan is faced with a decision: whether or not to forgive him. There's no doubt in his mind that he no longer trusts the green alien with his son anymore. He doesn't know if he even trusts Piccolo with Goten anymore since he knows for a fact that Piccolo had some role in all of this as well, and he looks up to the older Namekian as a second dad.

All he knows is that he can no longer bring Goten with him to the Lookout, and that also means that he can't go to the Lookout to work out his feelings about his father; if he can't work out his feelings with his father, then that means that he can't ever return to the Z-gang.

That's right, Gohan still feels the need to hide from the Z-gang. He knows that even though they won't say it out loud that deep down, they are all hurt by Goku's death. He can't imagine their reaction if they ever found out that he actually _hated_ Goku for what he did. They would probably shun him from the group despite the fact that he's the man's son, and right now that's the last thing he needs.

Besides, seeing him is probably a painful enough reminder of the man's death.

One thing he knows for sure though is that he needs to somehow forgive his father in order to even attempt a return to the Z-gang. In order to do that though he needs some guidance, which brings him back to his primary problem: the trust he has in his sensei.

Gohan knows that deep down Piccolo probably has a good reason for sending Goten back in time through the pendulum room, and that Dende probably was just a vector. It still doesn't mean that he approves–they should have asked him beforehand if they wanted to . He still however needs the reason they both had and in order to find out he needs to get back to the Lookout.

The only problem is that he doesn't want to leave Goten alone. Sure, normally he would be fine leaving the chibi by himself during one of his naps, but after what the little tyke went through he will most likely have nightmares, and he doesn't want to not be around if he wakes up. He somehow has to go when the little guy is awake, but he doesn't want to take Goten with him since Gohan isn't sure how well he will be able to contain his anger. After all, his former best friend and sensei just betrayed his trust so he isn't very happy with them at the moment.

That's when an idea suddenly pops into his head:

Videl.

Gohan remembers yesterday fondly. He had a great time with Videl and he even opened up everything to her; there's now not a single thing that she doesn't know about him. Another, and more important thing that he remembers about Videl's visit yesterday is just how much fun Goten had with her and how comfortable he was with her. After himself, Videl definitely is the one the chibi feels most comfortable with.

Not only that, but Videl has quickly become his most trusted and best friend. He knows that she would take excellent care of Goten if he ever had to go anywhere and he knows that Goten would be quite comfortable in her care as well.

Still though, he finds himself hesitant. While Videl hasn't done anything to betray his trust as of yet, that doesn't mean that she won't in the future. After all, it was just earlier today that his sensei and former best friend did just that, and he would have never thought that they would do that. It's a good thing that they still have no clue where he lives because after today, he doesn't know if they will end up going back on their promise to keep their meetings a secret and end up telling Bulma about them.

In the end though, Gohan decides to trust Videl with Goten. He really needs to get to the Lookout and get this over with before he explodes just thinking about it.

The teen takes one last glance at his son before exiting the room and heading for the living room. Remembering that just yesterday Videl had gotten him a cell phone so he could reach her whenever he wanted, he quickly picks the device off the side table and calls the only contact in his phone: Videl.

After a few rings the daughter of Hercule picks up. "Hello, Videl Satan speaking."

"Hey Videl, it's Gohan."

Videl smiles on the other end. "Hey Gohan! What's up? You need something?"

"Yeah, I do actually. I'm sorry it's such short notice but I need you to watch Goten for me while I do something important. Are you free?"

Videl's eyes light up at the suggestion. He actually caught her at a perfect time as she was just walking back from one of her Sunday shopping trips with her friend Erasa. After the torture that the girl put her through she could use a pick me up, and watching Goten would give her just that. "Totally! I would love to babysit the little guy! He's so much fun! I'm just surprised that you're going somewhere without him when he's awake. You never leave the kid alone unless he's sleeping and when he's awake you're always around. Why can't you take him along?"

Gohan's expression drops a tad just thinking about what Goten had to witness. Dende he needs to get to the Lookout now! "It's complicated Videl. I'll tell you when I get back I promise, but right now I need to go."

"I'll hold you to that Gohan. Alright, you want me to fly over?"

"No, I'll just come get you with Instant Transmission. Goten's asleep at the moment, but I wanna leave as soon as he wakes up. I'll see you in a few seconds!"

Videl laughs at Gohan's last sentence. "Alright Gohan. See you soon!" she replies before hanging up. Sure enough, not ten seconds after the conversation ended, Gohan appears right in front of her. He has done this quite often over the past year and a half and at first it used to startle Videl to no end. Eventually though, she got used to it so now she doesn't even bat an eye anymore. "Hey Gohan!" she greets him, closing the distance between them for a hug. Gohan returns the kind gesture and places his hand on Videl's shoulder, wasting no time.

"It's nice to see you again Videl but we need to get back. I think Goten is waking up. Now we are going to appear right next to Goten since I am using his ki signature to lock onto. Are you ready?" he asks her. Videl nods and Gohan puts two fingers from his free hand on his forehead and quickly instant transmits back to his home right next to Goten's bed.

Gohan's timing seems to be impeccable as Goten is just waking up from his mini-nap. The chibi sits up in his bed and rubs the sleep out of his head before opening them and smiling up at Gohan.

"Hi daddy," he greets sleepily, letting out a little yawn before seeing Videl there as well. He blinks, now fully awake and grins at Videl. "Ane! You're here!" he shouts enthusiastically, launching himself at the girl.

Videl, while startled at the chibi's enthusiastic reaction to seeing her, snatches the chibi out of the air expertly. This isn't the first time he's greeted her in this fashion and the thought of how much the little guy likes her warms her heart. She can honestly say that she adores the chibi too.

After she breaks the hug, she returns Goten's greeting. "It's good to see you too Goten. Always is."

Goten, while elated that Videl is over can't help but wonder why she's here, so he asks her just that. "Why are you here ane?"

Before Videl can answer though Gohan beats her to the punch. "Actually Goten, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," he starts, gaining the attention from both others in the room. "I'm going back to the Lookout to talk to Mr. Piccolo and Mr. Dende about what exactly happened with you and when they planned on letting me know about their 'plan.' Unfortunately I have to go alone, so Videl is here to watch you until I get back."

Goten's eyes widen at that. His daddy's leaving him? But he's always been around! He doesn't want his daddy to leave him, even if Ane Videl is here! The chibi panics and quickly jumps from Videl's arms to Gohan's. He wraps his tiny arms around the teen's neck. "No! Don't go!" he screams, tightening his grip on his daddy. He's not going to let go anytime soon if he can help it. "I don't want you to go! What if I need you!?"

Gohan internally lets out a sigh and sits down on Goten's bed, cuddling the chibi close. He should have seen this coming. Goten is suffering from a terrible case of separation anxiety and the events of today probably just amplified that a few times, but he's going have to get over this soon. Seeing Goten like this reminds him of just how scared he got today, and Gohan really has to leave before he gets too mad. "Goten, I'm only going to be gone for an hour tops, plus you have Videl here to play with you while I'm gone."

Goten's looks up at his daddy with gigantic watery eyes. Still to this day Goten has never cried in Gohan's presence, even as an infant, but he is on the verge of it happening for the first time at the moment. "But daddy," he whines, voice shaky, "Ane's awesome, but she's not you! I don't want you to leave!" After getting his word in, the chibi buries his face in his daddy's chest, struggling to hold back his tears.

Gohan quickly goes into dad mode and comforts Goten for a few moments, giving an apologetic smile to Videl, who so far has only watched everything that has happened awkwardly. She smiles back and mouths to Gohan that she will be in the living room and then leaves to give the two some privacy.

Meanwhile Gohan's calming gestures, like always, work wonders on the chibi. After a few moments, he relaxes and finally unwraps his arms from Gohan's neck, much to the teen's relief. For a little guy, Goten has a pretty strong grip!

Finally, after some hesitation, Goten looks up at Gohan. "Are you still leaving daddy?" he asks, much calmer than before, but still sad at the idea.

Gohan puts a small frown on his face. "I'm afraid so Goten." he answers, causing Goten's mood to drop once more. However, he still stays calm at the news, much to the relief of Gohan. "I really need to do this. It's really important. What Mr. Dende had you do was wrong. You shouldn't have had to see what you did, and that made me mad at Mr. Dende because you were so scared due to his actions. I need to settle this with him and Mr. Piccolo and that's why I need to go. Do you understand Goten?"

The chibi slowly nods to Gohan's question, giving him the answer he desires. Gohan quickly continues before Goten tries to guilt him into staying once again. "Don't worry Goten, you have Ane Videl to play with you while I'm gone and you know how much fun she is. But if you need me, I can be here faster than the speed of light."

Goten's expression turns hopeful at his daddy's words. "You promise?" he asks, his eyes widening cutely.

Gohan smiles down at Goten and answers his question with absolute confidence. "I promise Goten." The chibi smiles and hugs Gohan again, which the teen eagerly returns. He then stands up and carries Goten in his arms. "Now how about we go see Ane Videl?"

Goten smiles and nods, causing Gohan to smile as well as he walks out of the chibi's room and to the living room, where they find Videl lounging on the sofa. Gohan smirks at the sight. "Comfortable?" he asks her as he sets Goten on the ground, amused at the completely relaxed expression on her face.

"Very," is her lazy reply. Her previously closed eyes flutter open and she reluctantly sits upright on the couch. Goten quickly scampers over to her, and she smiles at the boy.

"Well I think I'll be leaving now," Gohan says, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the room. "I'll be back in no time, don't you worry Goten. Ane will take good care of you."

Goten merely nods at Gohan. He's still somewhat upset that he has to leave him, but he understands that what he has to do is incredibly important. "Bye daddy!" he answers before turning his attention back to Videl.

"See ya Gohan," Videl replies as well.

"Bye guys!" Gohan answers back. With that taken care of, Gohan puts two fingers to his forehead and instant transmits to his sensei's ki. Oh, they have a lot to discuss.

* * *

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower~

Piccolo is silently meditating on the edge of the Lookout. Earlier, his gakusei had stopped mid-spar and suddenly just dashed away towards the Lookout Palace. This action had greatly confused the Namekian until he saw Gohan exit the Palace with a distraught Goten in his arms. After that, everything became clear.

Dende had carried out his plan after all.

Piccolo had quickly tried to approach Gohan and placate him a little bit… perhaps explain why they did this. However, when he got close to the teen demi-saiyan with his tiny charge, Gohan just sent him a dark glare, freezing his approach in its tracks.

He hadn't seen a glare that cold since Bojack.

Gohan was incredibly pissed!

So the Namekian just let his gakusei fly off, frozen in his spot. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was that glare. He quickly went to Dende to find out exactly what happened, but when he found the young guardian, he got the same treatment from him: a glare as he approached. However, Dende's glare didn't hold the same power as Gohan's did so the older Namekian tried his best to ignore it and attempted to ask his younger companion what exactly happened. "Dende, wha–"

"This is all your fault Piccolo!" Dende shouts, cutting off the older Namekian. "I told you that we should just tell him, but you just had to suggest we show him through the freakin' Pendulum Room didn't you?! 'It's for the best' you said! 'Gohan'll appreciate it later' you said! Well I don't agree at all!"

Piccolo only can stare with wide eyes as Dende continues his rant. "Now not only did I probably traumatize Goten for the next few months at least, but now Gohan is absolutely furious at me… like I _wanted_ this to happen, like I _wanted_ to show Goten that! Now I don't know if he'll ever forgive me! Thanks a lot Piccolo! I lost my best friend because of you!" Dende then quickly storms past Piccolo and heads somewhere deeper into the palace to calm down a tad.

Piccolo is once again shocked. Dende, the quiet, gentle Guardian of the Earth just yelled at him! He never thought he'd see the day that he'd cause that to happen. Piccolo decided to let the guardian have his space and went back outside of the palace, sitting on the edge and getting into his lotus position to start his meditation.

That had all happened about an hour ago. While in his meditation, Piccolo thought over if his idea was a good one after all. He admits that he hadn't anticipated Goten to take it as hard as he apparently did. However, he still thinks that this was the best way to go about it. If the child is anything like Gohan, which he admits is definitely the case on this subject, then he would need an extra 'kick' to willingly start to train.

He remembers how hard it was to get Gohan to start training for the saiyans. The child was a whiney brat that cried too much for his liking. It took him being abandoned in the forest to actually start to take his training seriously.

Piccolo was just thinking in Goten's best interest. He didn't want Goten to be in the same situation as Gohan and as much as Dende says that just explaining it to the chibi would have worked out just as well, he knows that that wouldn't have been the case. No, just like Gohan, he needed the extra motivation, and the pendulum room gave him that.

"Piccolo!"

The older Namekian is startled out of his meditation by his gakusei's angry shout. He didn't sense his presence at all. _Damn ki wristband!_ "Gohan–"

"Dende!" Gohan shouts, cutting off his sensei. Now that Goten isn't here he can finally let out all of his emotion. He hasn't been this angry in a long time and he wants to give both Namekians a piece of his mind. "Get out here! I need to talk to you!"

In a matter of seconds the Guardian of the Earth makes his presence known and comes out to the outside of the Palace. Once both Namekians are there Gohan lets it rip. "Explain yourselves! Both of you! You better have a _damn_ good reason for sending Goten back to the time of Raditz's arrival!"

Piccolo chooses this time to speak up for himself. "It was my idea Gohan," he answers, causing Gohan to cast his glare over to him. "He had been asking why you were training him and I thought that having him see the reason would give him the extra motivation he needed. It was for his own good."

Gohan's eyes narrow at that explanation. To him, he doesn't see why it was necessary to even discuss the event at all. He doesn't think that Goten was ready for it. After all, he wasn't ready for what happened when it happened. "I can't believe you'd even think it necessary to talk about what happened! Did you ever once consider how he would take seeing what happened?! Did you ever once even consider the fact that he's only _four years old_!? It's bad enough that he had to find out what happened, but for him to actually witness it?! I can't believe you Piccolo!"

Dende takes this opportunity to quickly defend himself. "That's what I told him, and he still didn't listen to me!" the guardian adds.

"SHUT UP DENDE!" Gohan quickly retorts, now sending his glare at the Namekian. "That just makes what you did even worse! You knew what you were doing was wrong and you _still_ went through with it anyways! You may have only been the vector, but you still went through with Piccolo's plan!"

Dende is stunned. What Gohan said is absolutely true. He still had the opportunity to not go through with the plan, but he did it anyways. He puts his head down in shame as Gohan continues. "By the way guys, when exactly were you going to tell _me_ about your 'plan?'"

Piccolo reluctantly answers his gakusei's question. "We didn't want you to know since we knew you wouldn't allow it–"

"You're _damn_ right I wouldn't have allowed it!" Gohan furiously shouts back, now struggling desperately to keep his power under control. He's on the verge of super saiyan and it's only thanks to his superior control he has over the form that he hasn't transformed already. "How in your right mind could you _ever_ think that it was a good idea in the first place!?"

"I didn't think that he would have taken it so badly–"

"Well you didn't think, that's for sure!" Gohan cuts off his sensei once again. "Do you know Goten _at all_?" he shouts, now bursting into super saiyan, sending both Dende and Piccolo skidding backwards at the sudden efflux of ki. They couldn't feel that transformation coming at all thanks to the ki wristband, and were caught off-guard by it, though Piccolo had a suspicion that it was coming.

"Gohan–" Piccolo shouts only to get cut off again.

"Just think about it for a minute! You both know that Goten regards me very highly and now think about what happened when Raditz came! I was abducted by the crazed lunatic and eventually knocked out by him! Goten probably even thought I died when he saw that part! How did you _think_ he would take it!?"

Silence is all that meets Gohan, signaling that he successfully made his point. "Do you now see how blind you guys were?! Did you guys ever think that I actually had a legitimate reason for not telling him about Raditz?! I know from experience just how horrifying that is for someone his age! You should have asked _me _about this! Then when I said no I could have at least explained all of this to you before it happened!" Gohan yells, his power spiking once again. It's is getting harder and harder for him to keep control and now his power is rising to a ki level so high that it's starting to overwhelm the ki inhibitor wristband, which is now sparking.

"Gohan!" Piccolo shouts back at his gakusei, drawing his attention. While Gohan has made some good points, he still thinks that it's unreasonable for him to think that his plan was completely ludicrous. "Goten needed to see what happened! You told me yourself that you were frustrated that Goten wasn't making much progress in his training and that's because he lacks motivation! He had no clue why you were training him in the first place!"

Gohan's looks at his sensei incredulously. "I told him that it was for his own self-defense! He knew what it was for!"

"Well whatever you told him clearly wasn't enough," Piccolo retorts. His gakusei just doesn't get it. Doesn't he see that Goten still needed that extra push? "He was still questioning why it was so important that he learn to defend himself. He was confused because he never saw anything truly bad happen. He needed to know your reasoning, and sending him back in the pendulum room was the only way that he would be able to see that! Once he understands why you're being so insistent, he will be more motivated to train! It's what is best for him!"

Gohan's glare only hardens at the Namekian. "Are you telling me you know what's best for _my_ son more than me?!" he asks incredulously.

Piccolo sighs in frustration. At this point, he knows that Gohan is too blinded by rage to listen to anything he says, but that suddenly gives him an idea. The fact that the ki inhibitor on his gakusei's wrist is sparking isn't lost on the Namekian. Maybe, just maybe, if he can get Gohan angry enough he can force his ki to spike high enough to break the wristband and give away his cover!

And he now knows exactly how.

With this new plan in mind, Piccolo narrows his eyes at Gohan. "In case you've forgotten Gohan, you aren't Goten's father. Goku is." he replies in a low tone. "And I don't care how long you've been living on your own, you're still only sixteen yourself. Ask yourself that question why don't you."

Gohan's eyes widen at that statement. _He did NOT just say that!_ Gohan internally seethes.

It is at this moment that he finally loses it.

Gohan lets go of his power, shattering his ki wristband and exploding into super saiyan 2. The explosion sends Dende flying backwards and even sends Piccolo a few feet back before he raises his power enough to control himself. It's an explosion in both the literal and ki sense. Where there was absolutely zero ki before is now an unimaginable amount of power. Gohan, realizing what he has done, is able to contain himself to his power that he had at the Cell Games, but he still is raging on the inside.

"I'm not his father?!" Gohan shouts at the top of his lungs as a stray bolt of lightning crosses his face. "I never claimed to be his father! However, I've raised him on my own since he was an infant! I've been there since the day he was born! I may be only sixteen Piccolo, but I know how to raise Goten! I know what's best for him because I know him better than anyone! He's my _life_ Piccolo! My everything! I may not be Goten's father, but he is definitely my son, and I definitely am his dad!"

Piccolo can only gape at Gohan at this point. He just blew his cover and now he is broadcasting his ki to the whole Northern Galaxy! He then smirks since he can already feel all of the Z-warriors heading towards the Lookout. Perhaps if he can keep Gohan going long enough, then perhaps he can team up with them and convince Gohan to stop hiding.

However, to the Namekian's annoyance, it seems that Gohan has also caught wind of who is coming and this snaps him out of his rage. How could he be so stupid?! He let his rage get to him once again, and now his cover is blown! Not only that, but Goten is now probably scared silly due to how angry he got. He quickly powers down and suppresses his ki as far down as he can while he checks his bond with the chibi. Although he can barely feel anything due to the fact that he's so far away, he can tell that Goten is definitely disturbed, although he seems to be calming down somewhat. He figures it's due to a combination that he is no longer seething with rage and Videl probably comforting him, but he still needs to get back as soon as possible.

With these thoughts in mind, Gohan quickly fixates his senses on Goten and puts two fingers on his head. Piccolo shouts out in protest, but he is too late as Gohan vanishes from his view, right as Vegeta touches down on the Lookout, looking extremely pissed.

"Namek!" he shouts, pure irritation in his voice. "Where is Kakarot's brat!? I know I felt him up here!"

Piccolo sighs in frustration before turning to the saiyan prince. "You just missed him, and I'd rather only explain this once so we'll wait until everyone else gets here until I explain what's going on."

Vegeta scowls and crosses his arms across his chest. *hmph* "Well those pathetic humans better hurry up then! I don't have all day!" he retorts.

Piccolo just ignores Vegeta's attitude. He is beyond irritated. He was so close, but he let him escape. He still has no clue where Gohan is living, and he probably will make another one of those ki wristbands in no time to conceal himself once again. And after what happened and what he said, the demi-saiyan probably won't ever come back to the Lookout.

Piccolo sighs once again as Krillin touches down. Before his gakusei may have been missing, but now he's truly lost. He sadly wonders if he will ever see him again.

* * *

~987 South District~

Videl is currently watching Goten wobble his way through the sky at the moment. The chibi is making great progress with his flying as he can now fly straight pretty easily, but he still has trouble changing directions. The daughter of Mr. Satan knows how that is.

When Gohan was first teaching her how to fly she had trouble changing direction as well. She found out that the key is being able to channel your ki in the opposite direction so that it moves you in the direction you want to go, but that is difficult for a beginner ki user. However, the joyous expression on the chibi's face tells her that he is enjoying himself despite his struggles. Videl smiles at the sight.

This all started with a rousing game of tag. The chibi had insisted that they play the game and Videl had complied. Thanks to her superior ki manipulation skills compared to Goten, she was able to keep up with the demi-saiyan chibi, who is genetically faster and stronger. It was fun for a while, but when Videl took things a step further and took the game to the air, Goten had complained that he couldn't fly that well yet. When Videl suggested that he practice flying under her instruction, he had jumped at the opportunity enthusiastically. He has been practicing ever since.

As far as Videl can tell, the young chibi is a natural. He seems to be picking it up even faster than she did, and he's only four! It took her weeks to even be able to stay in the air for more than ten minutes, and Goten has been flying around for the past half-hour! He is now doing shaky figure eights in the air and seems to be having a blast.

However, that all quickly changes in an instant.

Suddenly Goten halts his movement mid-air and looks in a random direction. Without his ki supporting him, the chibi starts falling from the sky! Videl hastily makes her way over there and catches the chibi before he hits the ground, but becomes extremely concerned when Goten suddenly looks scared and starts shaking in her arms. Videl, knowing that it has something to do with his strong bond with Gohan, quickly hugs the boy and comforts him in the same ways she's seen Gohan do time and time again.

"Goten," she gently beckons the chibi. "What's wrong?"

The demi-saiyan looks up at Videl with wide, watery eyes and his bottom lip trembling. "Daddy's mad! Really mad! He feels scary!" he answers, burying his face in her shoulder, but surprisingly not crying. He however is still shaking and Videl hears a sob escape the chibi's lips. Videl just keeps on comforting the chibi to the best of her ability, uttering reassurances that everything will be alright.

After a few moments, Goten stops trembling but is still obviously shaken up. This gives Videl some relief as her attempts at soothing the chibi are obviously working. A few seconds later, Gohan pops back in out of nowhere, obviously from Instant Transmission. Goten's head pops up immediately and seeing that his daddy is back like he said he would be, he quickly makes the transition from Videl to Gohan, who automatically takes over his normal role as dad and continues comforting the chibi expertly.

"It's okay Goten," he softly mutters, rubbing circles in the child's back. He can already feel the calm overtake Goten now that he's here. It still amazes Gohan to this day how much comfort his son draws from him. He's extremely grateful for this amazing bond that he has with Goten.

After reassuring himself that Goten will be alright, he looks up at Videl. "I bet you're wondering what caused this huh…" he predicts, knowing his best friend's inquisitive nature.

Surprisingly however, Videl shakes her head negatively. "No, I already know that he got upset because he felt you get mad. He told me that himself. What I want to know is why you got so mad."

Gohan nods, signaling that he intends to tell her. "Fair enough. I already promised you I'd tell you why I had to leave anyways and I will. I however have to get a new wristband first. Thank Dende that I was able to make a few extras in case something happened," he explains, showing his now naked right wrist, also causing Videl's eyes to widen.

"Dang! What did you do to break it?" she asks, shocked. "I thought those things were supposed to be basically indestructible!"

Gohan scratches the back of his head with his free hand. "Well apparently they have a limit as to how much ki they can contain. I guess I never really did try them out at the super saiyan 2 level since I'm the only one alive that can transform into that state, but apparently that is too much ki." Upon seeing Videl's incredulous expression, Gohan chuckles. "I'll explain it all when I get my new wristband," he adds, now heading back towards the capsule house.

Now back to his old self thanks to his daddy, Goten starts telling Gohan about his time with Videl. He tells his daddy about their game of tag and about how Videl was helping him learn how to fly better. Gohan listens to his son's stories with the utmost attention, glad that he's already feeling better. He didn't even need to explain to the chibi why he was so mad earlier, and frankly he never wanted to in the first place.

Gohan makes his way to his lab and spots an extra wristband. He quickly picks it up and puts it on, masking his ki once again. "Ah, much better!" he sighs. "It's been so long since I've had to suppress my ki that it was getting quite annoying. I should probably start practicing again though in case I need to in a dire situation." He then smiles at Videl. "I see you're still wearing yours, and it's working! Thanks again for doing that." he adds, now exiting the lab with Goten still in his arms and Videl following behind.

Videl indeed is wearing a ki blocking wristband. With her ki training over the past year and a half, the daughter of Hercule has gotten exponentially stronger, so much so that Junjoubu is no longer required on police missions. She now has the ki manipulation skills to protect herself in every possible situation that she could get herself into.

What this also means though is that her base ki is also exponentially higher, so much so that it would probably draw suspicion from the rest of the Z-fighters if they ever got close enough. So, in order to avoid a surprise visit from one of the Z-fighters, Gohan made her her own, personal ki wristband to mask her signal.

Of course one of the disadvantages to this is that he can no longer sense Videl since unlike Goten, he can't feel her through the ki inhibition. This could cause problems with him being able to track her down, so he added a special component to the wristband. What it does is it interacts with his wristband (at least the one he had) so that he can tell exactly where she is through a signal that the wristband gives off. Since Videl lives in the city, he then can instant transmit to the closest person to her signal, which usually isn't too far away due to the population density of Satan City.

Since his original wristband was destroyed though, he is going to have to add that component to the new one he now sports. Before that would have been a pain, but now that he knows exactly what to do, it shouldn't take him more than an hour. He figures he'll do it tonight after he puts Goten to bed.

"Hey, it's the least I could do after everything you've done for me," Videl replies to Gohan. "I'm actually surprised at how comfortable it is to wear. It's like it's not even there!"

"I know right?" Gohan replies, now entering the living room. He sets Goten on the ground and kneels down to his level. "Why don't you go outside and play for a while. I need to discuss something very important with Ane Videl in here for a minute and after we're done we'll go to the lake."

Goten grins at Gohan. "Oh wowee! The lake! Please hurry daddy!" he excitedly replies, running out the door to go play with some of his animal friends.

Gohan smiles at his retreating form before turning his attention back to Videl. "You know, those wristbands didn't always used to be that comfortable," he suddenly informs Videl, who turns her attention back to Gohan after watching Goten run off. "When Goten was really little it was a challenge to get him to keep his on. I was used to it but he kept on taking it off. I was lucky he was so little at the time that his ki wasn't strong enough to draw attention to the Z-fighters, but that got me working on making it more comfortable."

Gohan finds himself now thinking back on the old days. He was finally able to make a more comfortable version of the wristband by the time Goten turned two years old. Now he's so glad that he did. "It's a good thing too because now his ki would definitely draw attention since he is learning ki manipulation plus the fact he's a saiyan. I'd say that his base ki level is about up to what mine was when I got angry during the whole Raditz incident…"

Gohan finds himself trailing off after that sentence, and his mood drops instantly. He just reminded himself why he's so angry with Dende and Piccolo and now everything that happened earlier today is coming back full force.

All of this isn't lost to Videl. She knows Gohan well enough to be able to read his moods, and she gets the feeling that this has something to do with his trip to the Lookout earlier. She quickly grows concerned at Gohan's sudden mood change and quickly takes his arm, pulling him down to sit on the couch with her. "Gohan," she starts, trying to be reassuring. "What happened up on the Lookout? You promised you'd tell me right?"

Gohan looks directly into Videl's eyes and sees nothing but concern for him. She is legitimately concerned for him, and seeing that is enough for him to open up to her, starting with his biggest concern. "Videl… am I a good dad to Goten?"

Videl's eyes widen at that question. What brought this up all of a sudden? She thought they were talking about his recent trip to the Lookout, but she has a feeling that this ties that together somehow. What happened that made him think that he wasn't a good dad to Goten?

As for her answer to his question, she doesn't even have to think about it. "Gohan, you are an _amazing_ dad to the little guy! I've never seen two people closer than you two. Not only that, but your interactions with him, the way you treat him and care for him, tell me everything I need to know. Now, I may not have seen you act as a parent too often until recently, but from the few moments that I did see I can honestly say I'm amazed. Heck! Not just ten minutes ago you showed just how awesome you are at being his dad… what suddenly brought this up?"

Gohan sighs. "This is a long story, but it started this morning when I went for my weekly 'therapy' session with Piccolo…" He then tells Videl about the events that transpired on the Lookout, starting with how Dende used the pendulum room to send Goten back in time to when Raditz came, taking a few minutes to actually explain how the pendulum room works to her as well. After all of that, he goes into the details of how he felt that Goten was terrified and immediately went to the room in order to comfort him only to find that Dende was the one that had caused this to happen.

"Why would they do that?!" Videl asks incredulously. "From what you told me, that event was horrible! Didn't your dad die in that battle?!"

Gohan merely nods. "Luckily Goten didn't see that part, otherwise I think he would have been even worse off than he was. However, he did see me get knocked out by Raditz after I broke out of his space pod… and I think Goten thought that I had died," he explains, eliciting a gasp from Videl.

"Yeah," Gohan continues. "The poor kid was traumatized. I have a feeling he's going to have nightmares tonight, which is why I didn't want to leave while he was sleeping. What if he suddenly woke up and I was gone?!"

"I completely agree Gohan," Videl answers. "I can see why you had me watch him now, and I can also see why he was super clingy when you told him that you were going somewhere without him." She then starts to get angry herself. "What was Dende thinking?! Doesn't he realize that Goten is only four years old?"

"That's actually what I told them," Gohan replies. He then skips ahead to his most recent visit. He tells Videl how he just blew up on Piccolo and Dende, chastising them for sending Goten back. He then explains to her how Piccolo defended himself, telling Gohan that he had Dende send Goten into the past so that he could answer the chibi's question about why his daddy is insisting on training him.

Now at the time, Gohan was too angry to see what Piccolo meant by that, but now that the demi-saiyan has had time to reflect on that with a rational mind, he can't help but see the hidden meaning behind his sensei's words. Suddenly, what Piccolo did doesn't seem as bad because the reason he even sent Goten back in time in the first place is because the chibi was wondering why his daddy had been training him. Gohan then connects the dots and suddenly a painful realization occurs to him.

It's his fault.

It's completely obvious now! Goten didn't like the training, just like he didn't when he was little! If he hadn't pushed Goten into doing this in the first place, then Goten wouldn't have complained to Dende, and then Dende wouldn't have told Piccolo who then wouldn't have even thought to send Goten back to begin with.

Perhaps he doesn't know what's best for Goten…

Gohan tries to continue with his story but finds it hard without first addressing this issue. "Videl, at the Lookout, Piccolo had called me out and said right to my face that I wasn't Goten's father… that I needed to reevaluate myself and see if I actually know what's best for Goten," he admits, causing Videl to gasp once again.

"That's preposterous! How could he say that?!" she suddenly exclaims, much to the surprise of Gohan. "What did you say to that?"

"…Well I completely lost it." Gohan answers. "I was caught up in rage and that's when I ascended to my super saiyan 2 state and broke the ki wristband. I then went off on Piccolo saying that I might not be Goten's father, but I am his dad and he is my son. I also told him that I do know what's best for Goten since I have devoted my life to him…" he trails off for a moment before continuing in a much more somber tone. "At least that's what I thought. Now I'm not sure…"

Videl just looks at Gohan like he grew two heads. "…Gohan you can't be serious. You know that chibi better than you know yourself. If anyone knows what's good for him it's you Gohan."

Gohan sighs once again. "I thought the same thing Videl, but now that I think about it, I can't help but think it's my fault now. I was the one that forced Goten into training and this all happened because of that."

"Stop right there Gohan!" Videl suddenly commands in a scolding tone, much to the shock of Gohan. "Don't you go blaming this on yourself now! Okay sure, maybe this could have been avoided if you hadn't started training Goten, but what Piccolo and Dende did was wrong and completely out of line! They should have gone to you to ask for the answer or just told him that he wasn't ready for the answer!"

Gohan can only gape wide eyed at Videl as she continues. "No, Gohan! Your anger was completely justifiable and to be honest, I'm pissed at them too! Goten's like an otouto to me! I just can't believe they were so _blind_ not to see what his reaction would be to all of this, and _yours_ for that matter! But whatever you do Gohan, do not, I repeat, _do not_ go blaming yourself for this!" Upon seeing Gohan just sit there silent, Videl angrily adds, "GOT IT?"

"…yes ma'am." Gohan hesitantly answers, honestly still shocked at Videl's impassioned response to his unasked question. He didn't expect that at all! He figured that she would listen to his case and then agree that he could have prevented it. He didn't expect her to take it the way that she did.

In a lot of ways, Videl helped him out tremendously by saying that. He really feels a whole lot less guilty about the whole thing now.

However, he still can't get the idea out of his head that he might not know what's best for Goten and that he might not be the best person to raise the chibi. He admits that while he treats Goten like he would a son and that he plays the role of a dad in the chibi's life that no matter what, he can never claim to be his father. When Piccolo pointed this fact out at the Lookout he was affected much deeper than he originally thought.

Feeling like getting everything out in the open with Videl, he addresses this concern. "Still though," he starts, "I can't help but wonder if I am doing a good job at raising Goten. Like Piccolo said, as much as I like to believe that I'm his dad, I can't claim to be his father. What if he's right and I'm just too young to know what's best for him?"

Now it's Videl's turn to sigh. She takes her hand and forces Gohan to look at her. "Gohan, I'm going to tell you something alright? Yesterday, when you told me to promise not to say anything about you and Goten to anyone… I was actually planning to go to the police and have them notify Bulma of just where you were."

Gohan's eyes widen at this. She was planning on telling Bulma? Videl, seeing this, quickly continues before he can make any conclusions on that alone. "I originally thought you were living with another adult at least, but when you told me that you were on your own, I was afraid that you may be in over your head."

Gohan is reeling now. She thinks he's in over his head? Perhaps Piccolo was right, but before he can say anything Videl continues on from where she left off. "Then, as I was about to head back to the city and to the police station… I saw it."

"…saw what?" Gohan hesitantly asks Videl, not knowing exactly what she's talking about.

"The connection that you two have," she explains. "I saw just how much Goten looks up to you and just how well you handled him and I realized what you two have is special. I then remembered all of the times that you brought him with you to meet with me and then the trip to the lake earlier that day. It showed me that despite all odds, you were doing an excellent job raising Goten on your own. And that is why I didn't go to the police, didn't go to Bulma.

"You may be young Gohan, but sometimes age doesn't matter if you are as close as you two are. As long as you put him first and love him with everything you've got, you can be twelve years old and still be the best dad in the world. Like I told you earlier, I see Goten as an otouto, so if I was in any doubt that you weren't raising Goten right or if you didn't do everything with his best interest in mind, then I wouldn't have hesitated to go to the police and change that, but I didn't.

"You're an excellent dad Gohan. Whether you're actually his father or not doesn't matter as long as you love him like a son, and you've proven time and time again that you do. So stop beating yourself up on words that Piccolo probably said just to get you mad." After she's finished she goes in and gives Gohan a big hug, which he gratefully returns.

Gohan is still in awe with what Videl had just said. She just admitted to him that she was going to go to the police and inform Bulma where they were, but then changed her mind when she saw how he handled Goten. Apparently, she thinks of him so highly as a dad that she just continued to allow him to raise Goten on his own. He knows that it probably took a lot of courage to admit that she was planning on going back on her promise, plus he could see it in her eyes that what she had told him was completely true, so he takes her word to heart. Upon this revelation, all of his doubts about being able to raise Goten properly are completely crushed.

Videl just helped him much more that she realizes. Not only did she restore Gohan's peace of mind about his situation that he had before the events of today, but she also just gave him an incredible confidence boost.

Yes, he _can_ raise Goten the way he deserves to be raised.

He _does_ know what's best for his son.

Gohan tries to show this through the hug but it just isn't enough. He doesn't know if he will ever be able to repay Videl for this. As the hug breaks, Gohan looks deep into her amethyst eyes and smiles an eternally grateful smile. "Videl…" he starts, still soaring from Videl's heartfelt confession. "I don't know what to say… thank you so much for telling me that… I needed that…"

Videl is taken aback by the pure sincerity in his voice as he thanked her. "Well it's true Gohan," she replies. "But you make it sound like I saved your life or something."

Gohan's smile deepens as he looks out the window at Goten playing around, chasing butterflies with his net. "In a way… you did Videl…" he answers. "Goten is my life, and you just made me realize what a good job I'm doing with him. I can't thank you enough for that…"

"So you're not worrying if you're good enough for him anymore?" she asks.

Gohan turns his head back to Videl and once more. "Nope," he answers.

"Good," she replies. She then gets serious once more. "So one more thing before we go to the lake. What are you going to do about Dende and Piccolo? Are you going to forgive them for what happened?"

The smile on Gohan's face falls at the subject. "I don't know Videl. Even though their intentions were thoughtful, they still ended up hurting Goten. That in my mind is completely unacceptable. I don't know if I can forgive them for that. Besides, everyone else was able to sense me once I broke the ki wristband and I don't know what Piccolo and Dende told everyone so I think it might be best just to cut ties with them… at least until I'm ready to go back…

"What do you think Videl? I know I can't just forgive them like that, but I also need Piccolo's help to work out my feelings with my dad in order to be able to return."

Videl is seriously surprised that he actually asked her what she thinks about the situation. Obviously he values her opinion greatly, so she ponders his question thoughtfully. She knows that he will have a hard time forgiving them after what they put Goten through. She also knows how much Gohan desperately wants to stay away from the Z-fighters until he gets his feelings worked out since he's not ready to face his father's best friends in his current mental state.

On the other hand though, the daughter of Hercule has some legitimate concerns for Gohan as well. She has a pet theory of why Gohan is hanging onto his anger at his father and refuses to forgive him, and she has a feeling that this also will have a play in whether or not he will forgive Piccolo and Dende.

Videl suspects that Gohan really loves life here on his own with Goten. She sees how much he enjoys himself when he's with Goten and how much Goten adores Gohan. Perhaps the demi-saiyan is afraid that if he were to return to the Z-gang that his whole relationship with the chibi will change; therefore, he will end up sabotaging any attempt to forgive his father, thus keeping things the same as they are now.

She had learned only yesterday that Gohan was seeing Piccolo to talk out his feelings about his father. Suddenly, this whole thing with sending Goten back in time using the pendulum room came up today and Gohan got extremely pissed. Sure, the majority of it was righteous anger in her mind, but perhaps there's a part of Gohan's subconscious that will refuse to forgive the two Namekians simply for the reason that he was going to them to help rid his feelings of loathing towards his father. Since they were the vector, cutting them off will stop the progress that they've made so far, thus keeping things as they are now.

Videl knows very well that these are the wrong reasons not to forgive a person (in both his father's and both Namekians' cases). At the same time though she can see legitimate reasons why Gohan wouldn't forgive Dende and Piccolo right away, going back to the pendulum room incident. It also goes without saying that now that they've felt Gohan's ki at the Lookout earlier today that the Z-fighters will definitely be on the search for him again, and right now, she doesn't want to blow his cover.

Eventually, Videl forms her opinion. She believes that she should let things cool down between Gohan and the two Namekians before he makes an attempt to forgive them; however, she doesn't want Gohan to not get anywhere with his anger at his father. She believes that that hatred for Goku isn't justifiable, at least from what he's told her, so she is willing to take over Piccolo's role and play the part of Gohan's 'therapist.' She might be able to work her magic on her best friend so that at least he can end up forgiving Piccolo. That way, the demi-saiyan can make progress with him, who she figures is a lot more experienced in this area than she is.

What she plans to do with all of this though is try and make Gohan realize that things won't change between Goten and himself if he lets the Z-gang back in his life. While they may not be able to spend as much time together, he still will be Goten's dad and Goten will still be his son. They are so close that nothing will change that relationship. Perhaps if she is able to get this idea into the demi-saiyan's head he will actually make some decent progress.

It's worth a shot.

Finally, Videl voices her opinion. "Well Gohan, I agree that you shouldn't just forgive them all willy-nilly," she starts, "but I do think that eventually you should. However, I agree that right now the ties should be cut since now everyone will be looking out for you up there."

"However," she adds, "If you are going to stay hidden from everyone, you have to promise me that you will still work to go back. I don't like the fact that you are hiding from all of your father's friends, no matter how well you're raising Goten on your own. If you want my silence on this matter, you're going to have to agree to start opening up to me about your father and let me help you out with your… issues. Just because you're angry at Piccolo doesn't mean that you get a break from making yourself feel better."

Gohan sighs at Videl's condition to her plan, but he nods in confirmation. "I suppose. I guess I really don't have a choice do I?"

Videl grins at Gohan. "Nope. You don't," she confirms, then gets up and pulls Gohan to his feet. "Now let's get Goten and go to the lake. You don't wanna keep him waiting all day do ya?" she asks, now enthusiastic about being able to play with the chibi at the lake again. Yesterday was so much fun and the lake was so beautiful that she really can't wait to get back!

Gohan smiles at Videl. "No I guess not," he answers. They both walk out the door only for Gohan to get tackled by Goten.

"Finally you're ready!" he says exasperatedly.

Gohan laughs at Goten's attitude. That conversation did take a while, but he didn't think it was that long. "Aww common Goten," Gohan replies. "It wasn't that long was it?"

"Yeah huh!" the chibi replies, now taking his customary spot on Gohan's shoulders. "It was super-duper long! You guys took _forever_!" he replies, exaggerating the last word.

Gohan continues to chuckle at Goten. He really is cute when he's in a pouty mood. "I'm sorry Goten, but we're done now. Let's go to the lake!"

"Yeah!" the chibi shouts, tugging on Gohan's hair as if it were the reigns of a horse. "Giddiup!" he commands, to which Gohan starts 'galloping' much to the chibi's entertainment.

Videl looks on at the scene with amusement. She loves how close those two are and she can clearly see just how much they adore each other. Not wanting to fall behind, she quickly shakes her head and catches up to the demi-saiyan duo with one last lingering thought.

_I made the right choice._

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf

sensei- master, teacher

gakusei- student

ane- my older sister

otouto- my little brother, younger brother (informal)


	10. Changes

**A/N: Hey hey! **

**I would like to apologize for being a little later with this chapter. I have been so busy the last two days and have been incredibly tired the last few days so I really have been a bit lazy with the fanfiction. I sincerely apologize for the small delay. **

**Now that that is out of the way, in would like to address a few reviews I got. Someone had asked me for power levels. There's actually a reason I don't put power levels in my fics: it's simply because I find them completely irrelevant. They just simply got too big after the Frieza saga that they really became impossible to measure. **

**Instead, what I do is I base my ki levels off of ****comparisons. You'll see me describe a character's ki level off of how they compare to other characters that we have a good idea of how strong they are, such as Cell. This way, we're not dealing with numbers in the millions (and even billions) when measuring strength. **

**As far as transformations and powering up ki goes, the adjective I use to describe how fast it goes up is also a really good indicator of how strong someone is. For example, when powering up in a base form, or gathering more power in a ascended form, i tend to say that their power is increasing _steadily_, indicating that they are gathering ki at a constant pace; it's going up, but the rate is the same. When they transform into another form (base to super saiyan, or super saiyan to super saiyan 2) I instead use the phrase that their ki is increasing _exponentially_, meaning that not only that they are gathering power at a fast rate, but the _rate __itself_ is increasing as well. This shows that the new form is giving them a much larger tap of power than the previous form. In essence, super saiyan is _way_ stronger than base form, and super saiyan 2 is _way_ stronger than super saiyan. I always have a meaning behind the adjectives I use in my descriptions so keep this in mind for the future.**

**Also, someone mentioned something about me adding lemons to this story or the sequel. I hate to disappoint you, but while I really don't have a problem with lemons in fanfiction, I myself probably won't be writing one at this time. It's already pretty awkward for me to write the love scenes that I do write, so while I respect your opinion, I apologize, but it won't happen at this point. It doesn't mean I won't write one in the future if I get in the mood, but not at this time. Besides, I would have to change the rating to M if I did that, something I would rather not have to do. **

**Last response (since mostly everyone that reviewed used guest accounts). I got a question regarding King Dabura's strength and how he could possibly be stronger than Gohan as a super saiyan 2 against Bojack. Think of it this way: He already was just about as strong as Bojack before Babidi took him over. When Babidi took control of the Demon King, he released his full potential. **

**Now I had stated earlier that Prince Dabura wasn't even close to King Dabura in strength before Babidi, yet they fought on even ground in Chapter five. That is because of the unleashed potential in Prince Dabura allowed him to release his full potential, which was about up to his father's power. Now, if that much power was unlocked for Prince Dabura, than King Dabura's power up would be incredibly large as well, accounting for how he could be as strong as I made him.**

**Alright, enough review responses! Now on to this chapter. The thing I would like most feedback on in this chapter is Videl's theories on why Gohan is staying away from the Z-gang. Please let me know if it makes sense because it makes perfect sense to me. If it doesn't, please let me know what it is that confuses you and I will either explain what i was going for or change it if it's a legitimate error.**

**Wow, this has to be my longest author's note ever! I will stop pestering you all and get on with the chapter now. Enjoy it!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 9: Changes

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower, Age 772~

Bulma is currently rushing to the Lookout in order to see what the heck's going on. Unfortunately for her, unlike pretty much all of her friends, she doesn't know how to control her ki and can't use it to fly so she's stuck with flying in an air vehicle. She curses herself for not learning basic ki control since she's obviously had plenty of opportunity to, as her jet plane, while the newest, fastest model on the market, is horribly slow compared to the speed of ki flight, even at her ki level.

She also doesn't have the ability to sense ki either. That's why when Vegeta rushed out of the gravity room away from his training and took off towards the humongous ki that was suddenly present with the Namekian's strong, but laughable ki next to the new one, she was completely confused. When her five, soon to be six year old son had mentioned his father mentioning someone by the lines of 'Kakarot's brat' however, her eyes widened comically at the new information. No wonder Vegeta completely dropped everything and rushed out.

He had sensed Gohan!

She doesn't care how her husband outwardly acts. She knows the truth. While she would like to think that Vegeta rushed out to go and get him just because she wants him to come back, she also knows that that's not the case. The blue haired scientist doesn't know when and where it happened, but at some point, the last full-blooded saiyan alive had started to actually _care_ for Goku's son. She has a feeling that Goku deciding not to come back had a lot to do with it.

She smiles. At least _one_ good thing came out of that decision.

When she was presented with the knowledge that Gohan was sensed by her husband through a combination of Vegeta's actions and her son's mutterings, Bulma quickly grew excited. She finally has a chance to see him for the first time in four years! Perhaps this is the signal she was waiting for.

Perhaps he's finally ready to come back!

As she continues at her incredibly slow pace (compared to everyone else that is) towards the Lookout, the blue-haired beauty finds herself somewhat split on how she should feel. Sure, she's definitely excited to see the demi-saiyan and his brother again, but she's also angry and upset.

Why did he run away in the first place?! Did he seriously think that she wouldn't love him like her own son? Did he seriously believe that living with her was so horrible that he just had to get away? Not only that, but he couldn't just run away by himself, putting his own self in a situation no child should be in, but he just _had_ to take Goten with him as well! She finds that just completely irresponsible, seeing that he would have to end up raising the chibi by himself that way in an environment that isn't proper for a child.

Bulma won't deny that Gohan leaving had deeply hurt her. If not for the surprising support of Vegeta and for her own biological son needing her, she's not sure how she would have been able to handle herself. Not only was Gohan like a son to her, but he was becoming one of her best friends, much like his father. She had been through so much with the oldest demi-saiyan, what with the whole Namek adventure. She will never forget how much like his father he was during that trip.

She also could connect with Gohan in a way that she could never with his father: through the knowledge of science. Thanks to his mother's strict study schedule, by the time she got to really know Gohan on the trip to Namek, he was already at the senior high school level in all of the major sciences. She remembers fondly helping him study those many science books that his mother gave him to do over the trip and she remembers just how unlike his father he was in this area.

He had absorbed everything like a sponge!

She still remembers how truly impressed she was with the five and a half year old. Trunks is now the same age Gohan was during that trip and even with his scientific genes, he's still not that far yet, although as Bulma continues to think about it, her schooling regimen is much different than her late best friend's.

When they got back from Namek, Bulma found that Gohan would come over more often to observe her when she was working on something. During that four year period before the androids, she taught the boy so many different things and he even taught her a few things, always on top of the latest research. It got to the point where by the time the demi-saiyan was nine years old that instead of observing, he was actually actively _helping_ her with her work. That's one thing she truly misses the demi-saiyan for.

But it's like he just threw that all away! And she really doesn't understand what made him do that. They were so close…

On top of this all, there is one thing that the blue-haired beauty misses most about the demi-saiyan: how much he reminded her of both of his parents. He was so much like Goku when it came to general personality and fighting skills, not to mention that the kid is almost a carbon copy of her oldest friend in the looks department. He was also so much like his mother when it came to not only his brain, but also his temper and, most importantly, his extremely caring nature… well that actually comes from both of his parents she muses as she thinks about it deeper. Both Goku and Chichi had displayed immense love and care to their son, even if it was in two completely different ways. They truly were great parents….

That's why it hurts so much for him to be missing. Looking at him gave Bulma a reminder that while Goku and Chichi are both gone from the physical plane, that they are very much alive in both of their sons. It's bad enough that she already lost both of them, but to lose both Gohan and Goten just multiplied that pain. Bulma starts fighting back some tears that started making their way to the surface, then takes a deep breath.

Finally, Bulma is approaching Korin's Tower. As she starts to fly straight upwards towards the Lookout, she can't help but question why again. Why would he run away? What made him think that him leaving would make things better? How could he leave her, along with the rest of the Z-gang? Didn't he know that they would all be hurt by his actions? Bulma finds herself getting more and more angry at the demi-saiyan as she continues on this track. Oh, she's going to have some choice words for him that's for sure.

As Bulma's jet finally touches down on the surface of the Lookout, her anticipation at seeing her adopted son and his brother fades as she sees the disappointed looks on Krillin's, Tien's, Yamcha's, and Dende's faces, as well as the agitated looks on Piccolo's and Vegeta's. She also hasn't failed to notice that Gohan and Goten are nowhere in sight.

Vegeta, seeing his mate get out of the plane, speaks up to Piccolo, now quite irritated at having to wait for her. He really doesn't have much patience. "Alright Namek, the woman's here!" he states irritably, glaring at Piccolo. "Now talk! Where is Kakarot's brat and why did we feel him explode out of nowhere up here!?"

Piccolo raises an eyebrow at Vegeta. Is it just him or does the saiyan prince actually seem _too_ impatient? Is it possible that Vegeta actually cares about Gohan?

The older Namekian has been thinking over this whole time what to tell the Z-gang, remembering his promise to his gakusei to not reveal that he has been seeing him ever since Goten's third birthday. He briefly entertains the idea of just telling everyone everything, but he quickly rids himself of that thought. His gakusei may be mad at him at the moment, but the Namekian's loyalty to the boy is incredibly strong, much stronger than one argument can break.

"Alright, I'll explain what happened here today," he starts, knowing how he's going to go about this now. "Take a seat, this may take a while…"

* * *

~Orange Star High School, Satan City~

Two weeks have passed since the day that Gohan had cut ties with Piccolo and Dende. He still is angry with the two Namekians for what has become known as the 'pendulum room incident.' As such, he hasn't been to the Lookout since that time.

As predicted, Goten started to have nightmares about the incident. He had complained about having dreams where he had to see his daddy get incredibly hurt as a chibi in front of his eyes and has even had nightmares where he was the one trapped in the pod and his daddy was out fighting the big meanie and getting beat up. Of course this always resulted in him waking up suddenly and going to his daddy's room to sleep with him, which Gohan was always happy to do.

Usually this is enough to rid the chibi of his nightmares for the night, but over the last week the nightmares have gotten significantly worse. They kept happening more frequently, including during the chibi's naps as Gohan feared they would.

The teen thought about using the technique Piccolo used on him to rid nightmares, but he's hesitant to due to the fact that Goten is so young. Not only that, but Goten still isn't that adept at ki use as of yet, so he probably won't be able to bring out the negative ki that causes the nightmare anyways.

So, after a lot of hesitation on his part, Gohan decided to just let Goten sleep with him during the night for the time being since it seemed to end up that way most nights anyways. The chibi seems to draw such a comfort from Gohan that any contact with him will rid him of the nightmares with the assurance that his daddy is there right next to him. Once again, Gohan finds himself eternally grateful for this bond with Goten since he hates seeing his little boy upset. He just hopes that this doesn't become a routine that they can't break once the nightmares finally stop.

In all honesty though, Gohan has had a significant decrease in _his _nightmares over the past two weeks, due to the fact that he simply has been so focused on helping Goten. Since Goten is so close to him during the nights he sleeps with him, a protective instinct takes over his being. It's as though his soul won't let anything harm his boy in any way, mentally or emotionally. This makes his mind focus on the chibi lying next to him rather than thoughts of his father or mother, which usually cause the onset of his nightmares. He's grateful for this too since Goten would probably find it extra scary to see one of his daddy's nightmares.

Goten had asked last week why they weren't going to visit Mr. Dende and Mr. Piccolo on Sunday. Gohan had tried to calmly explain to the chibi that he is still mad at them both for what they made him go through. He explained to the chibi how it was very wrong to have him do that and that they should have went to him first. Goten was still somewhat confused with his daddy's reasoning, but he noticed that this subject made his daddy much sadder than normal so he eventually stopped asking about it and trusted that his daddy knows what's best.

Gohan however has stopped trying to push martial arts on Goten. After the whole fiasco at The Lookout, he figured out the true extent that Goten really didn't like it. If the kid wanted to go to such lengths to find out why exactly he was training him then it really must be bothering him. After all, Goten has an incredible amount of trust in Gohan, so for him to question something that Gohan is doing is major. All Gohan wants is for his little boy to be happy, so if halting his training until he's better ready will make him happy, Gohan will do that without hesitation. Who knows, perhaps it will help with the nightmares as well.

Videl on the other hand has been coming over almost every day to the Son residence, much to the delight of Goten. She has been coming over for two reasons; one was to hang out with the two boys, and the other being to talk to Gohan about his father.

Yes, the 'therapy' sessions have turned into more of a daily thing at the Son household since it's much easier to keep Goten distracted at home by sending him outside to play than having to leave him with Dende at the Lookout. Videl is trying to get Gohan to open up even more to her. Even if she isn't even close to a professional, she has heard that talking about it with someone else helps immensely.

She also wanted to see if her little theory of why Gohan is holding on to his anger at his father is true: just to have a reason to stay hidden. She wanted to know if this hate is just forced by Gohan so that he doesn't have to go back to the Z-gang.

So far over the number of sessions they've had, she's found out that Gohan hates his father for the sole reason that he stayed dead when he could have come back to life with the dragonballs. She also found out that Gohan blames his father for causing the death of his mother, saying that she was depressed because she couldn't handle not having her mate with her. He had explained to her earlier, when telling her all about saiyans, that a saiyan has an incredibly strong bond with their mate and children, and that if one dies, it's devastating for the other, so she can see where he's going with this theory.

When she heard about this, a whole new theory came up. Could Gohan be angry at his father as a coping mechanism for the guilt that he suffers himself for his father's death? After all, she remembers Gohan telling her that his father died sacrificing himself to save him. By the logic he used to blame his father for his mother's death, she could definitely blame Gohan for Goku's death. Videl however doesn't believe that Gohan should hold any blame for Goku's death, and she also doesn't believe that Goku should hold any blame for Chichi's death. If this is the true reason for his hatred for his father, then she believes that it's falsely based.

However, her first theory reappeared once again in another session when he continued explaining his father's reasoning for staying dead. He had told her that his father had said that he stayed dead to keep the villains away from the Earth, but Gohan informed Videl that he had reason to believe his father had an ulterior motive: to stay and train. Upon seeing her inquisitive face he quickly explained to her that in the past, even when he was alive, he had chosen to train over his family multiple times. His biggest example of this was staying in space to learn Instant Transmission instead of coming straight home.

Of course this information didn't shock her. When Gohan had explained his life story to her, he had mentioned that his father was lost in space for a year. Still though, she can't help but see that Gohan is making assumptions about his father's motives. She also knows from the many stories she's heard about Gohan's past as well as from seeing it up close that Instant Transmission is an extremely useful technique that has gotten both him and his father out of multiple sticky situations. She saw that as looking for something to hate about him since he obviously had good reasoning to stay and learn it.

Maybe her theory had some truth to it.

When thinking upon the subject some more, she couldn't help but remember that he had told her that before his mother died that he had accepted his father's death rather well. He had told her that at that time he thought he understood why he stayed dead, but how after his mother died his eyes were opened to what his father truly wanted, stating that if he cared about his family at all that he would have come back to raise his son and to keep his wife alive.

And then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

When he had first said that statement, she had automatically assumed that he was talking about his baby brother; that he should have come back to raise Goten. However, what Gohan had been telling her constantly about how he loves the fact that he is raising Goten as his own son and how much he loves life out here, not to mention how he acts towards Goten, completely contradicts that conclusion. Gohan had told her about Goten's birth before, and he had told her that even before the chibi was born he saw him as more of a son than a brother. His father dying had nothing to do with his view of Goten as his son.

Sure, he has also made the point that he is angry at Goku for abandoning Goten, but if he was mad at his father for leaving him to _raise_ Goten then he would be trying to get back to the Z-gang with determination so that he doesn't have to anymore. It also wouldn't explain why he was okay with the decision before his mother died since he would still feel like Goten was abandoned by his father during that time period as well. No, Videl knows the real problem here.

Gohan's mad at his father for leaving _him_!

She can see it clearly now. It makes sense! Despite the fact that Gohan has done such a commendable job at raising the chibi, Gohan still was only eleven at the time his father died. No matter how mature Gohan was, he still was a child. He wanted his father there to be with him, but he was able to accept the fact that his father wasn't coming back before his mother died because he still had _her_ to raise him.

However, once she died, that all changed. Sure, Bulma had adopted him into her family, but it just wasn't the same. Gohan had once told Videl that he ran away because he felt as if he shouldn't have had to be Bulma's responsibility to raise. With this new information, she can now see why he thought that way.

He wanted to be raised by his own parents…

His _real_ parents.

Frankly, Videl doesn't blame him either. She can even see how this led Gohan to bring Goten with him when he ran away. He probably felt responsibility for the chibi since he was the only true family he had left, not to mention that they already had an incredibly strong bond with each other. He didn't want Goten to go through the same thing he did and she can finally see how this led to his overwhelming need to raise Goten on his own since he considers himself Goten's _real_ dad.

Sure, he has continuously denied this fact, saying that he doesn't care that his father left him because he feels like he deserves it, but suddenly Videl feels like that's all a cover up. She goes back to the fact that he was completely at peace with his father's death at first as proof.

She knows it's a fact that Goku died sacrificing himself to save Gohan from his inevitable doom at the hands of Bojack. However, she also remembers that Gohan had talked it out with his father when he himself died for his own children.

Now Gohan himself may deny it all he wants –and trust her, he has!–but while Gohan may be a genius, Videl is also intelligent in her own right. She figures that in order for him to be able to be at peace with Goku's decision to stay in Other World at all, he had to have absolved that guilt over his death in that conversation. If that is the case, then Gohan has absolutely no right to feel guilty for his father's death; and therefore, he should not feel like he deserves to be left behind by Goku.

The daughter of Hercule suspects that her best friend subconsciously knows this–that he in actuality doesn't feel any remorse over his father's death since he dealt with it five years ago. She figures that if he _did_ still feel guilty, then he would have addressed the subject of his father with a lot more remorse and guilt than he has at this point.

She can even use this reason to explain the fact that Gohan feels uncomfortable with all of his father's old friends. While Gohan believes it's because of the guilt that he holds for his father's death, Videl has an alternative theory of what is going through Gohan's mind.

She has a feeling that Gohan associates all of the Z-gang members with his father. After all, they were all of his best friends. She has a feeling that the 'guilt' that Gohan says he feels is actually something completely different:

Abandonment.

She believes that Gohan associates his father with abandonment. When he looks at his father's friends, he sees all of the people that he had abandoned. He sees that his father abandoned all of those that cared for him, and according to Gohan, that is quite the list of people.

Gohan feels uncomfortable around those that were close to his father due to the fact that he sees a reminder of what happened; of how he feels _he_ was abandoned.

Videl's theory on why Goten doesn't trigger this response is because the teenage demi-saiyan doesn't actually believe that his father abandoned Goten. As she concluded earlier from Gohan's story about Goten's birth, his father's death had no effect on how he viewed the chibi. In Gohan's eyes, the chibi demi-saiyan was _his _to raise; therefore, how can he think Goku abandoned him if he concluded from the very beginning that it was _his_ job to raise Goten?

Videl just came to these conclusions after thinking about their last session very thoroughly once she went home, and it all makes complete sense to her. Now that she knows the root cause of his anger, she is eager to work on it with him. She feels like she is making some serious progress now!

Little does she know that Piccolo had reached the same conclusion about a year ago and he still wasn't able to get any farther than that. It's one thing for her to know what the root cause is; it's a whole other battle to get Gohan to realize this and admit it himself, especially when he adamantly denies it.

This is far from figured out.

Videl also had an ulterior motive to visiting Gohan so often over the last two weeks. Ever since her first visit to his house two weeks ago, she can't help but see Gohan in a different light. She started suddenly having thoughts about the demi-saiyan that she would have thought ridiculous a few weeks ago.

After that visit, she just couldn't help but notice just how _nice_ Gohan is all of the time, and how much he truly cares about Goten; she couldn't help but notice how genuine he is when he tells her about his father and how much he really trusts her. And most of all, she just couldn't get it out of her head just how much of an amazing dad he is despite his age.

Then came the strange part. She started noticing just how Gohan's body seemed like it was built by gods, how incredibly nice he fits in those gi pants he always wears, or just how his abs look like they're chiseled out of marble when his shirt is off. She found herself staring at his luscious lips when he wasn't paying attention or she would get lost in the deep depth of his dark, onyx eyes for what seemed like a lifetime when in reality it was but a few seconds. She noticed that his hair looked like that of an angel, long and flowing despite how thick and unruly it is. She even found herself attracted to the demi-saiyan's brown, fuzzy tail, thinking it gives him a cuter appearance rather than a strange one.

And it just kept getting stranger. If that's not enough, for the past week, Gohan was constantly in her thoughts and she found herself unable to wait to see him again, longing for his presence. Then, when she would go to sleep, he would be in her dreams. The first night it happened it was just a normal visit to his house and she was just hanging around him and Goten. However, the dreams started getting more intense where she would suddenly dream of doing much more… intimate activities with the teenaged demi-saiyan.

This was really starting to freak Videl out. She couldn't believe what was happening!

She has a crush on her best friend!

She has a crush on Gohan!

Videl finally admitted it to herself last night. She indeed likes her best friend more than just a friend. Somehow, the demi-saiyan that she just met at the tournament four and a half years ago has crawled his way into her heart without even trying, a feat that many before him have attempted and failed at miserably.

And it's driving her insane!

So far, she's been able to keep it a secret from Gohan, but it has been difficult. She really is finding it harder to_ not_ act on her feelings as it seems that he just gets more perfect in her eyes every day. She really doesn't want to mess up their friendship with this though. She has no clue if he even likes her back.

His obliviousness is both a blessing and a curse at the same time…

If she told him that she likes him more than a friend and he doesn't feel the same way it would make their friendship completely awkward. She couldn't stand it if that happened so despite her desires she will continue to not act upon them unless she finds that he likes her the same way.

However, despite the fact that she really doesn't want to let out that she is totally and completely crushing on him, she can't bear to be away from him. It's ridiculous how much two weeks can change things. A fortnight ago she had never even been to Gohan's home, and now she can't stay away. It wouldn't be a problem if she didn't have school starting up this week. She couldn't skip school even as the 'world savior's' daughter. However, she did manage to do the next best thing.

Somehow, Videl was able to persuade her best friend and secret crush to enroll at her high school, Orange Star High last week. At first, the demi-saiyan was completely against it, stating that he couldn't leave Goten alone for eight hours a day just so he could go classes that teach material he learned when he was five years old. He had told her that he couldn't get anyone to watch Goten either since the only two people he trusts watching the chibi other than himself are her and Bulma, and the demi-saiyan made it perfectly clear that Bulma wasn't an option.

Videl then suggested that he enroll the little tyke in Orange Star Elementary. She made her case saying that it was right next door to the high school in case Goten needed his daddy. Even with this argument though, Gohan was still a bit hesitant. He still didn't want to have to leave Goten for such a long time during the day, even with him right next door, plus he had a feeling that Goten wouldn't like the idea either.

The daughter of Hercule refused to give up however, so she asked Goten what he thought about the idea. When he asked what school was, Videl explained to him that it is a place where you learn different things and meet new people that you play with. With that definition, the chibi was ecstatic with the idea of going to school and subsequently begged his daddy to go, going as far as to throw in his adorable puppy dog eyes. Of course Gohan couldn't say no to that so he reluctantly agreed to go with Videl and take a campus tour.

So the next day, Gohan and Goten went with Videl to check out the campuses of both schools. Gohan was pleasantly surprised at how close the elementary school actually was since the schools were connected to each other. He was also surprised at how nice all of the amenities were that the school had; the science labs looked to be top of the line, the classrooms looked nice and roomy, and the best part of it all: the cafeteria was an all you can eat buffet that you pay for with your fees, sort of like a meal plan. That was the deciding factor for the teenage demi-saiyan and he enrolled both himself and Goten at the end of the tour.

So now Videl finds herself in her classroom anxiously awaiting her crush. She seems excited and wide awake, something unusual for the first day of school. She had made sure that Gohan had all of her classes since he had no clue what to take, so she will have all of her classes with him. The daughter of Hercule made it to school extra early today since she left early in case there was a crime, but this morning was all clear, so she's actually the first one to arrive.

A few agonizingly slow minutes pass and a few more people arrive, all of whom notice Videl. They find it a bit strange that she's already here since she usually is late most days. Videl just ignores them, still waiting for Gohan to arrive. A few more minutes later, a blonde girl with sky blue eyes walks into the classroom, smiling as she sees Videl. She quickly waves at her friend, surprised that she's already here, and makes her way to the seat right next to her with haste.

"Hey girl!" she energetically shouts with her achingly high soprano voice. The girl appears to be what many would call the stereotypical blonde, with her petite figure and her style of clothing, not to mention that she's also known as one of the school's biggest gossip queens. "I thought you'd be out on the town kicking butt! Why are you here so early?"

Videl smiles at the blonde, somewhat thankful for the distraction. Her thoughts, like usual as of late, were centered on a certain teenaged demi-saiyan and waiting for him to get here has been mind-achingly long. She's glad to have someone to talk to. "Hey Erasa," Videl cheerfully replies. "There actually wasn't any crime today, plus I wanted to get here early so I can save Gohan a seat."

Videl has known Erasa since her kindergarten days. The blonde is the daughter of Hercule's oldest friend and before she met Gohan, the two of them were almost inseparable. They have a rather strange friendship since their interests hardly matchup; Erasa is into shopping and gossiping about the latest fashion whereas Videl is intimately interested in martial arts and fighting crime. One wouldn't consider them to be the most compatible of people.

Somehow though, the two balance each other out. Despite their differences they enjoy each other's company. When together they can talk forever, and they usually tell each other everything. This has been kind of hard for Videl however since she didn't want to reveal too much about Gohan, but at the same time she wanted to desperately tell Erasa about him. Luckily, when she told Gohan about this, he had told her that she can tell her his name and how they met, but nothing about the fact that he's been raising his brother on his own for the past four years. He did however give her permission to tell her that he was the one who also taught her about ki.

So Videl did just that. Erasa knows about who Gohan is so she knows who Videl is talking about when she says that she's saving a seat for him. The blonde girl is absolutely thrilled to finally meet this guy since Videl has said so much about him. She wants to see him for herself since it is quite unusual for Videl to speak so highly of a boy.

And is it just her, or does Videl seem a bit _too_ awake this morning? The blonde smirks, having a feeling what this is about, but she stays silent for now. They'll discuss that later when they're alone. "Oh wow!" Erasa enthusiastically replies. "Today's the day I get to finally meet Gohan!"

Videl's smile widens at Gohan's name. "Yeah," she answers. "You're gonna love him Erasa. He's probably the sweetest, kindest guy I know, not to mention a total genius."

Erasa smirks at how perky her friend gets talking about Gohan. She already has a suspicion that her best friend likes the boy, judging by how she's acting today. Normally she's all grouchy and tired in the mornings, but she seems extra awake and happy today, and the only difference Erasa can see is the fact that Gohan's going to be enrolled today. She has one more test that will confirm her suspicions since she's never heard Videl talk about a guy's appearance before. "I just have one question Videl," she adds. "Is he a total hottie?"

Videl suddenly smirks. "His body looks like it could rival a Greek god's," is her answer, causing Erasa's eyes to widen. "But you'll see for yourself."

At Videl's answer, Erasa internally squeals in delight. Finally! Her friend's totally all over this guy! She has waited a long time for Videl to start liking somebody, and it's finally happened! Now she _really_ can't wait to meet this person who stole her best friend's heart!

Videl meanwhile can't wait to see Gohan now as well. She had told him that he couldn't wear his gi to school last week, so she took him clothes shopping the day they went for him to take the entrance exams, and let's just say that she pushed him to buy some tee shirts that may have been a size too small and some pants that she would die to stare at all day.

That's the beauty of Gohan's cluelessness she figures.

Erasa then starts talking to Videl about her week and what she did ("Oh my Dende I saw the _cutest_ guy at the mall the other day ") and Videl tries her best to keep up and listen. Erasa has quite the motor mouth and could probably talk forever if she let her.

Eventually, the bell signaling the start of the class rings out throughout the halls, yet Gohan still hasn't arrived yet. This is somewhat of a concern for Videl until she realizes that usually the new kids get introduced to the class separately so she just impatiently waits until Gohan eventually walks through that door. Unfortunately for her, it's not for another 25 brutally long minutes until there's finally a knock on the classroom door.

"Ah, that must be our new student," the teacher announces. He makes his way over to the door and opens it. "Come on in young man and introduce yourself to the class."

Gohan nervously walks into the room and becomes even more nervous when he sees every girl staring at him with lustful eyes. He can't figure out for the life of him why every girl he's seen today has given him this look, but it just makes him even more nervous.

He is wearing a sky blue tee shirt that he swears is too small on him, but Videl had insisted that it fit perfectly, so he trusted her and got it anyways. Now however he's not too sure that it was the greatest idea. The dark, denim jeans that he has on also make him feel uncomfortable, but it was once again Videl who had told him that they were the latest fashion and that it would help him fit in, so he took her advice on them as well.

The girl had also insisted that he put his long hair in a pony-tail to keep it out of the way and that he wrap his tail in the little belt straps on the jeans to give an appearance that it's an actual belt, something that he had agreed with wholeheartedly. He knew it wasn't normal to have a tail unlike his father when he was his age, so he gladly complied with the raven haired beauty on that one.

This is the scene that the girls of Orange Star High are presented with and the reason they are in turn gawking over the boy. He looks just as good as Videl had hoped and she finds herself looking at him with desire before quickly changing her front and putting on a friendly smile. Luckily Erasa was too busy staring at the boy herself to notice her slip. She doesn't want to get an earful from her friend squealing that she actually likes a guy.

Gohan though still hasn't said a word. Unlike Goten and his father, he is naturally shy, so he already has a hard time introducing himself in front of new people. The gawking girls however just multiply that nervousness. He continues to look around the classroom until he finally sees the face that calms him down.

Videl's

His best friend, unlike the other girls, has a wide smile on her face, sending him silent support encouraging him to go on and introduce himself. He knows that she knows he is a shy guy and that he has trouble with this sort of thing (he does live very far away from civilization after all and has for his entire life). Seeing her eases his nerves significantly and he sends her a smile before taking a deep breath and introducing himself.

"H-hello," the demi-saiyan nervously starts glancing up at Videl once more and continuing. "My n-name's Gohan Son."

The teacher looks on at his new student approvingly. With a nod, he continues for the boy. "Yes, Gohan here is quite the student," he adds. "He's the first one in school history that got a 100% on the entrance examination so you all could learn a thing or two from him."

"Nerd!" some jock from the back of the classroom shouts out, causing a few snickers from his group of friends. Gohan however pales a bit at the comment, just wanting to fit in with the rest of the students. He hasn't been here two minutes and he's already been labeled the class nerd.

Great, why did Mr. Rekishika (1) have to say he got perfect scores on the entrance exam in front of his whole history class?

Videl meanwhile glares at the jock. She knows just exactly who he is and she also knows that he is a real jerk. If it was anyone else he was making fun of she probably wouldn't have reacted so strongly, but this is _Gohan_, the sweetest, kindest person she knows. Not only that but she knows just how much the demi-saiyan dreads attention and how much he stressed all week about being able to fit in.

"Shut up Marker!" Videl interjects, defending her friend much to the shock of everyone else. "At least he has a brain, unlike you Mr. 'I can't add 2+2!'"

Marker's eyes widen and a blush comes to his face as he scowls at Videl. Erasa and a few others start chuckling at that statement as well while Gohan smiles at Videl's gesture. He knows she's trying to stick up for him, despite the fact that it probably wasn't the best way to do it.

Mr. Rekishika however is not amused at the shouting war that is in the making and immediately tries to rectify the situation. "Silence!" he yells out, breaking up the noise. "Miss Satan! Mr. Finepoint! That is enough! Shouting insults will not be tolerated in my classroom!" The two send each other one last glare before reluctantly complying and sitting back down.

Satisfied with the response, the teacher turns back to Gohan and puts on an almost apologetic looking smile. "Sorry about that son," he speaks again, much calmer than before. "Now please pick yourself a seat. You may choose any of the empty spots available."

Gohan nods and looks around for an open seat, hoping for one next to Videl. Luck seems to be on the demi-saiyan's side as he sees a blonde girl that's sitting right next to his best friend waving her hand and motioning him over by them, pointing to the empty seat next her on her other side. He smiles and nods before quickly making his way up to her and taking his seat next to her.

"Hey there cutie!" Erasa greets as the class gets started. Gohan, not used to the bluntness of Erasa, blushes a bit at the 'cutie' comment, but Erasa ignores it and continues. "My name's Erasa, with an 'E!'"

Gohan regains his composure and checks the teacher to make sure he's not paying attention to him before smiling at the girl. "Ah, so _you're_ Erasa," he greets quietly, now remembering the girl's name. "Videl told me about you. She said something about you always taking her on shopping trips of –"

"Gohan!" Videl suddenly cuts off the demi-saiyan frantically, not wanting Erasa to know what exactly she thinks of their Sunday shopping trips. Honestly, the demi-saiyan is too genuine for his own good.

Erasa giggles and looks over to her friend. "Oh lighten up will you V? I already know you hate those shopping trips. I can tell when you don't absolutely light up when you find a great outfit."

Videl gapes at her oldest friend. "You _knew_ I didn't like them?" Videl asks her incredulously. "Why did you make me go then?"

"Well you obviously need to update your wardrobe girl," she responds, causing Videl to roll her eyes. "It's not good to have the same clothes every week and you need to keep up with the latest fashion."

"Whatever Erasa," the daughter of Hercule replies, rolling her eyes once more. "I still don't understand what's so important about having a new outfit every day."

The blonde girl looks at her friend like she just told her that she was pregnant. "Are you serious Videl?" she inquires her incredulously. "It's of the utmost importance to keep your wardrobe up to date! You see…"

Erasa then goes off on a tangent, explaining to both Videl and Gohan about the importance of keeping up with the latest fashion. Videl pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyance while Gohan finds himself somewhat amused by the blonde. She is talking so fast that he can hardly keep up with her, but still finds it funny how someone can talk on and on about the subject of clothes. The demi-saiyan can definitely see her becoming some sort of fashion designer or critic later on in her life.

Eventually, the teacher notices that the blonde really isn't paying attention to his class and calls her out on it. After that, the rest of the class goes rather routinely with no more interruptions. Gohan however finds himself incredibly bored in the class since he already learned everything that Mr. Rekishika is teaching them, so he ends up doodling in his notebook, which is something that he started when he was little and his mother forced him to study hours on end.

Erasa, now bored as well due to the fact that she can't talk, peers over to Gohan's little doodles. Her eyes widen when she see just how good the drawing actually is: it's a drawing of a beautiful landscape with an amazing view of the ocean over a cliff. Everything is so detailed that it makes her wonder just how good he is as an artist.

As the bell rings, signaling the end of class, the blonde girl gives Gohan her praises. "Oh my Dende Gohan! That drawing is spectacular! I didn't know you were such an artist!"

Confused, Gohan looks down at his notebook and sees that he drew the view from Goten's bedroom window. He looks back at Erasa, still confused, but he scratches the back of his head and grins at her nonetheless. "Gosh, thanks Erasa," he replies, blushing a tad at the praise. In all honesty he doesn't think it's that special since he just doodled it in less than a half hour, but he's glad that she seems to like it. "You can have it if you want."

Erasa lets out a high pitched squeal, making Gohan wince due to his sensitive hearing. "I would _love _it!" she delightfully shouts, giving Gohan a hug much to the teen's further embarrassment. "I think I even will color it in when I get the chance! Thanks Gohan!"

Gohan nervously chuckles as he looks at Videl for help. He only just met this girl and she's already all over him! The famous crime fighter however just shakes her head, her eyes shining with amusement at the teen's situation. Gohan sighs before returning his attention to his best friend's blonde friend. "Please Erasa, it's not that big of a deal, but you're welcome I guess…"

Erasa lets go of Gohan eventually, and the trio exits the classroom in transit to their next class. "Honestly Gohan," Erasa continues on, walking right next to the teen demi-saiyan, "you have to stop being so modest. That drawing was absolutely beautiful! You seriously have a talent! When'd you get so good at drawing?"

Gohan decides just to entertain the blonde. "Well as you probably know from Videl, I was homeschooled my whole life up to this point. My mom was really strict on my studies and as such she would send me to my room to study for hours on end. Eventually, I got tired at some point, and since my desk was right in front of the window, I would end up doodling the view outside. I guess I did it so often that I ended up memorizing the exact landscape and can now draw it to perfection really quickly."

Erasa's eyes widen once again. "You mean the landscape that you drew was the view from your room?!" she incredulously asks, her high pitched voice making Gohan wince in pain once again. "Where do you live?! That's got to be one of _the best _views I've ever seen! You _so_ gotta show me you house sometime Gohan!"

Gohan nervously chuckles at the blonde's comment, while silently signaling Videl for help once again. Is it him or is Erasa taking things a bit fast? Luckily this time the crime fighter comes to his rescue and grabs the girl's attention.

"Common Erasa, you're embarrassing the poor guy," she states, grinning at the blush that is apparent on Gohan's face. Damn that makes him look cute. She might have to sick Erasa on him more often, but she figures that the demi-saiyan has suffered enough for now. "Anyways isn't this your classroom?" she asks.

Indeed they are standing outside of Erasa's next class. The blonde girl has a different second period than Gohan and Videl, much to Gohan's relief. Erasa pouts, disappointed that she can't talk to Gohan more, but she nods to the two. "Yeah, and I suppose you guys should get going," she answers. Not a second later she perks up, smiling at the two. "I'll see you both at lunch!"

Erasa enters her classroom and as the door closes behind her, Gohan sighs in relief. This causes Videl to laugh however, which makes Gohan look at his best friend confused. This only causes the daughter of Hercule to laugh harder, making Gohan sigh now in frustration. He doesn't like it when people laugh at his expense.

Eventually, Videl stops laughing in time for them to quickly head to their next classroom. She can't help but grin at the demi-saiyan however as she tries to explain her oldest friend's antics. "Didn't I tell you Erasa was a bit…"

"Hyperactive?" Gohan responds.

Videl chuckles a bit. "I was going to say energetic, but that works too."

"Videl… she was more hyperactive than Goten on a sugar high."

That causes the daughter of Hercule to crack up once again as they enter their next classroom. "Don't worry, you'll get used to her. Trust me, she won't be as… enthusiastic once you start hanging out with her more. I think she was just excited to meet you after I told her all about you, plus the fact that you look really good in those clothes probably amplified that a few times." Videl smirks as Gohan blushes once again at that statement, which is exactly what she wanted.

Yep, _definitely _cute.

As Gohan and Videl make their way to their seats, the bell rings, signaling the start of the next class. The teacher however still hasn't arrived yet for their class, giving the two of them some time to continue talking, which leads Videl to ask something that she's been wondering about since first period. "So Gohan, why were you so late to the first class? You must have been at least 25 minutes late."

The demi-saiyan rubs the back of his head as he remembers what happened this morning. "It was Goten," he answers, a small frown on his face. "It started before we entered the classroom. I was trying to remind him of the rules I set for him to not give too much away…"

* * *

**~Orange Star Elementary School, Earlier this Morning~**

**Goten looks around the school with wide eyes as he follows his daddy to his classroom. There are so many kids! To some children, the amount of other people might scare them, but the thought of so many people to possibly play with excites the chibi demi-saiyan greatly. There are so many potential friends here, which makes him really anxious to get to his classroom now. He can't wait to meet some new people!**

**Finally, after a walk that took way too long for the chibi's liking, they reach the Kindergarten classroom. Normally, someone Goten's age would be placed in the K-4 class, but since his daddy has been teaching him a bit of subjects (not **_**nearly**_** the intensity of Chichi, but a tad just to get a base of knowledge) he was able to pass into the K-5 class. **

**Before they enter the classroom, Gohan kneels down to Goten's level and looks him in the eyes with a serious expression that Goten recognizes as his daddy's 'important instructions' face. The chibi knows that whatever his daddy is about to say is incredibly important. "Now Goten, do you remember what I told you about playing with the other kids?"**

**The chibi nods his head in reply. "Yeah, you said to be gentle and to treat them like the animals in the forest and that I shouldn't show them that I know how to use ki and that I shouldn't fight with anyone," he replies as if he had heard it a thousand times already. **

**Gohan nods approvingly, although he narrows his eyes as he realizes that his son forgot two big things. "Yes that's right Goten, but what else did I say?"**

**The chibi sighs exasperatedly. He was hoping his daddy had forgotten, but apparently not. "You said not to say that you are the one that actually beat the Cell monster and that I shouldn't invite people over to my house without asking you first." **

**Gohan smiles and nods once again, giving his boy an encouraging hug. "Yep. That's right Goten. I know you'll want to show your new friends your cool house and tell them that your daddy beat Cell, but it's very important that you follow these rules." **

**As he releases the chibi from the hug, Gohan turns serious once more. "Now there's one more thing that you should look out for Goten. People, in this city especially, mostly believe that Ane Videl's daddy beat the Cell monster and as such, some of the kids might say some bad things about the people that were also there, mainly my daddy and me. Now I want you to promise me that you won't let these kids get you mad and that even when this happens that you not tell them that I beat Cell."**

**Goten's eyes widen at that statement. There are people out there that talk bad about his daddy? The chibi doesn't even know how it could be possible to talk bad about who he considers the greatest person in the world. Goten voices his surprise to his daddy. "But why would they say bad things about you daddy?" he asks innocently. "You're like the best person in the world!" he adds, grinning up at his daddy. **

**Now it's Gohan's turn to sigh. Of course Goten doesn't think that anyone will say anything bad about him. He hasn't done anything to the chibi to make him think otherwise. The four year old has also never met anyone outside of Videl, Dende, and Piccolo either, so he really doesn't have a clue about what the majority of the world really thinks about the 'mystery fighters' at the Cell Games. Knowing this, he knows that he has to prepare Goten for what he might hear.**

**Gohan keeps his serious face as he addresses Goten once more. "You have to realize Goten that most people have a hard time believing in ki. Ane Videl's daddy has told everyone that it is a bunch of 'tricks' that we use, so kids in your class might call us names such as 'tricksters' or 'frauds.'"**

**The chibi demi-saiyan becomes wide eyed once again at this. Before he can say something though, his daddy continues speaking. "I just want you to be aware of what they might say. It doesn't mean that it is going to happen or that they even believe what Mr. Satan is saying, but if you do meet someone that says stuff like this, I just want you to do your best to not listen to them and walk away. Those are kids you probably wouldn't get along with too well anyways, but don't try to correct them or get mad. And whatever you do, **_**please**_** don't try to fight them!"**

**Finally done with his explanation, he gives Goten a chance to respond. The chibi looks up at his daddy incredulously. "But daddy, I don't understand!" he cries. He believes his daddy to be the greatest in the world, yet he's telling him **_**not **_**to defend him? "Why don't you want me to say anything if they say mean things about you!?"**

**Gohan can tell that Goten is starting to get worked up over this subject. Clearly he is still too young to understand that not everyone has the same opinion on everything that he does. He also can see that the chibi, despite the fact that he tried to explain this as simply as he can, will have a hard time ignoring people that insult him. Of course that's understandable, but Gohan doesn't want Goten to unintentionally hurt someone or accidentally give something away. **

**The teen tries one last approach. He ruffles the chibi's hair in an attempt to get him to calm down before he starts. Luckily, his touch does wonders for the chibi as it gets him to calm down a bit. "Well Goten," he starts, trying to word this as simply as he can. "There is a bigger reason why I don't want you to try and change someone's opinion on the subject. It's because it really doesn't bother me, and if it doesn't bother me it really shouldn't bother you either. But do you know why it doesn't bother me Goten?"**

**Goten, who up to this point has just been listening to his daddy intently, shakes his head negatively. Gohan puts on a soft smile in response. "It's because the only person whose opinion about me matters is my son's. As long as **_**he **_**knows the truth and loves me, then that's all that matters, because he's the most important person in my life and I love him more than anything. Absolutely **_**nothing**_** anyone else says about me will matter as long as my son believes me." **

**Goten looks at his daddy in awe. Even at the age of four he knows the significance in his daddy's words. "Is that true daddy?" he asks, eyes wide.**

**Gohan's smile widens. "Yep, it's completely true son. I could care less what others think as long as I have you." **

**The teen-demi-saiyan really does mean it truthfully. Hercule has been bashing the Z-fighters for ki usage for the last five years now and Gohan has gotten really good at ignoring it, but even if it would have just started today, he still thinks that it wouldn't bother him much at all since he lives by himself with Goten anyways and has devoted his life to making the chibi happy. As long as his little boy is happy, he doesn't care about anything else. "Now," he continues, trying to get an agreement out of Goten, "do you promise to not let it bother you Goten?"**

**At that statement, Goten nods before grinning and quickly closing the gap between him and his daddy giving him a big hug. The small demi-saiyan may be only four years old, but what his daddy said really meant a lot to him. It only confirms his thoughts that he's the greatest daddy ever.**

**The teen quickly returns his son's hug, although a bit surprised at this little display of affection. While he figured that Goten would be able to understand what he was saying, he didn't expect such a strong reaction from the little guy. He only figured that it would get him to agree to his conditions, but he's glad that it made the chibi feel better about the situation.**

**As he releases Goten, The bell rings, signaling the start of the school day for the entire school system. While this means that he'll be late to his high school class, Gohan doesn't care as long as he can help Goten out on his first day. "Well squirt," he finally says after a moment. "Let's get you settled in to your classroom." **

**The chibi nods excitedly, his previous enthusiasm coming back full force. Gohan grabs his hand and walks over to the classroom door and gives it a knock, letting the teacher know that they have arrived.**

* * *

~Orange Star High School, Present Time~

"Wow Gohan, I must say I'm impressed with your approach," Videl softly replies after Gohan's finished telling his recollection, truly meaning it. In actuality, she is amazed at Gohan's skill as Goten's dad. Dende that just makes him that much more attractive in her eyes.

While Gohan was speaking, their teacher finally arrived to the classroom, but he still wanted to finish his story, so ever since he had been telling her in a hushed voice. Videl meanwhile was listening intently the entire time. While she feels like she should be paying attention to what the teacher's saying, she can't take her attention off of her newly discovered secret crush. Besides, she knows that Gohan knows everything that the teacher is going to go over anyways and will probably be able to teach her better than the teacher himself.

Gohan shoots Videl his stunning smile at her comment. "Thanks Videl, although that wasn't even the hardest part…" he trails off.

Videl raises her eyebrow at that. She has a feeling of what he's talking about, but she wants him to confirm her suspicions. If everything after what he told her was smooth sailing, he definitely wouldn't have been 25 minutes late. "Oh really?" she asks, not really surprised at all. "What was the hardest part then?"

The demi-saiyan grimaces as he remembers what happened next. It was just as hard for him as it was for his little boy, but it had to be done. "Well," he begins, rubbing the back of his head once more, "let's just say that Goten suffered from a severe case of separation anxiety…"

* * *

**~Orange Star Elementary School~**

**As soon as the door opens, Goten runs into the classroom, eagerly making his way around and introducing himself to as many kids as he can. Luckily it seems as though the chibis are still in a sort of play time and are all around playing with various toys so Goten doesn't unintentionally interrupt anything. **

**The teacher, who was the one to answer the door chuckles at his newest student's enthusiasm. "That's quite the bundle of energy you've got there," he absently comments to Gohan while looking at the chibi run around and greet everyone. "and fast too," he adds, seeing the speed at which Goten is making it around. After a moment, he turns his attention to Gohan, extending his hand. "I'm Mr. Hitsuijikai (2), the kindergarten teacher for the K-5 class. I assume you are this young lad's oniisan?"**

**Gohan frowns a bit at that. It's been a long time since he's been called Goten's older brother. While biologically that's exactly what he is, that certainly hasn't been his role in his brother's life. **

**Not since his father died.**

**Gohan, not wanting anything to get suspicious to Goten, corrects the teacher right away while taking his hand in a professional handshake. "Actually sir, I'm Goten's dad, Gohan Son, but it's nice to meet you."**

**Mr. Hitsuijikai gives Gohan an astonished expression, which quickly turns apologetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Son," he quickly apologizes, somewhat embarrassed that he just called his newest student's father his older brother. "It's just that you look so young that I wouldn't have thought that–"**

"**It's alright sir," Gohan interrupts, stopping the man in his tracks. He does his best to smile at the man, although it's not as powerful as one of his true smiles. "I actually get that a lot. I don't take any offense to that."**

**The teacher lets out a sigh of relief. The man at the door looks friendly enough and if the cheerful attitude of his son is anything to go by, he probably is an excellent father to his son. He really doesn't want to unintentionally offend him. "Well that's good Mr. Son," he states. "Once again, I apologize. Anyways, we were just about to get started with introductions so would you like to stay or do you have somewhere you need to be?"**

**Oh how the demi-saiyan wishes he could stay with his son for his first day of class, but he has classes he has to get to himself. Still though, he has concerns about leaving Goten here by himself. Sure Mr. Hitsuijikai seems like a good man (after all his name literally means 'shepherd') but he still is hesitant. This is **_**Goten**_** he's talking about! His son! He doesn't know how he feels about leaving him with a complete stranger, despite the fact that this guy probably has plenty of experience watching children. **

**He looks up at the clock. He's already five minutes late for his first class. He really can't afford to be too much later on his first day so eventually after a long debate in his head that seemed to go back and forth, he decides to leave Goten in Mr. Hitsuijikai's care, although incredibly reluctantly. The only thing that really reassures him is the fact that he remembered that Videl had told him that this man was the best kindergarten teacher in the whole city, who is particularly known for how well he treats his students. **

**And he trusts Videl.**

"**Actually, I do have somewhere to be so I think I'll pass," Gohan reluctantly answers. He looks over to Goten and sees him adamantly talking to another little boy with short brown hair and blue eyes. He smiles at the fact that Goten is already making friends. "Let me just say goodbye to the squirt alright?" **

**Mr. Hitsuijikai smiles and nods, giving his permission to Gohan. The teen thanks the teacher before making his way over to Goten, albeit hesitantly. **

**This will be the first time that he's left Goten alone with someone else for longer than two hours. He really will miss the little guy while he's gone. Goten has the ability to make him feel warm and content inside by just being there. He doesn't know what it's going to be like to be away from him for such a long time. Plus, what if Goten needs him? What would happen if he's not there to make sure his little boy is alright? **

**However, looking at Goten making friends and interacting with the other children here makes Gohan remember why he agreed to this in the first place. Sure, Videl had talked him into enrolling both himself and his son into the Orange Star School System, but his real reason for agreeing was for Goten. His son has been living in the middle of the mountains with only himself for company for as long as the poor guy can remember. Gohan figures it's time for Goten to start meeting others his own age and making some new friends. **

**Goten needs this. **

**So it's with these thoughts in mind that his resolve strengthens. Not wanting to waste too much time, he quickly covers the distance between him and his son. Goten, upon sensing his daddy approaching, looks up at him and grins widely at him.**

"**Hey daddy! Look!" he excitedly shouts, gesturing to the brown haired kid he was talking to earlier. "Meet my new friend, Paper! Paper, this is my daddy! He the best daddy in the whole wide world!"**

**The little boy shyly looks Gohan's way, avoiding eye contact. It's obvious that the kid is a shy one, completely opposite of Goten, yet he manages to put on a nervous looking smile. "H-hello sir."**

**Gohan smiles warmly at the poor kid. He's so nervous, something that the teen can definitely relate to. He was the same way at that kid's age, shy as can be. "Hello Paper," he greets genuinely. The child must have felt the warmth in Gohan's voice as he seems to physically relax a bit after his greeting, which makes Gohan smile wider. He then quickly turns his attention to Goten. "Alright Goten, I see you have settled yourself in very nicely here so I'm going to head out. I have class right now as well so I will see you after school lets out."**

**Upon hearing his daddy say that he's leaving, Goten's eyes immediately widen in shock and his grin completely disappears off of his face only to be replaced with a large frown. **

**His daddy's leaving?**

**But he thought that he would still be here with him! Ane Videl had made it sound like he would be right there in the background keeping him safe and secure. The chibi is now realizing that his daddy won't be here and it scares him.**

"**W-what?" Goten whimpers, his eyes already getting glassy: a signal that tears aren't too far away. "But… but I don't want you to go! I still need you daddy! What if I have a bad dream when I fall asleep? Those are so scary! What if I need you to protect me?" **

**The poor chibi demi-saiyan is practically on the verge of tears now. Normally, this would be considered normal for a four year old, but still to this day Goten hasn't once cried in the presence of his daddy. "I-I-I really don't want you leave me daddy!" Goten then latches onto Gohan's neck without warning, trembling from keeping his tears in. **

**Gohan finds himself shocked by the pure desperation in Goten's plea for him to stay. He seemed so enthusiastic about being here only moments ago. Gohan honestly doesn't know what to do since he doesn't really want to leave the chibi himself. He briefly entertains the idea of just taking Goten home and forgetting about this whole school thing completely, but he quickly rids himself of that thought. He knows that in the long run that that may do more harm than good. **

**Gohan wonders for a moment if perhaps he's been a bit too protective of his son. Maybe if he allowed Goten on his own more that this wouldn't be a problem. However, Gohan realizes that he would have never been able to treat Goten that way. He's just as hooked on the little guy as the little guy is on him. He just loves the kid too much for him to treat him any other way than he has. **

**In the end though, he knows that he needs to do this for Goten's sake. As much as it pains him to admit it, it's time the chibi learns how to cope with him not being within shouting distance of him every waking minute of his life. **

**It's time to let him go.**

**Gohan performs his usual calming gestures on his son, not caring that he's now the center of attention due to Goten's outburst. As usual, they seem to work their magic on the small boy and Goten is eventually able to relax in his daddy's embrace. Eventually, Goten is able to look into the comforting eyes of his daddy, his eyes still wide with sadness. "Please don't leave me daddy…" he pleads, still latching to his daddy's neck like a leach.**

**Damn that kid! Goten is really making it extremely hard for him to leave. The chibi is so desperate! He looks up at the clock again and sees that he's now fifteen minutes late. The teen forces himself to strengthen his resolve once more. He really needs to get going, but he doesn't want to leave Goten like this. **

**He gives Goten the warmest smile he can, hoping it will relax him a bit more. "Goten, son," he gently addresses his son. "I'm not leaving for good. I'll be back here as soon as the day is over."**

**Goten shakes his head at his daddy, letting out a whimper. "That's so long though daddy!" he cries, still not willing to let his daddy leave him. "What if– what if I need you?" **

**Gohan gently rubs his son's back. "Well I'm sure you won't need me too much while you're here Goten, but if you ever do, I'll be right in the building next door. I'll never be too far from you Goten. You know how to find me right?"**

**Goten gives Gohan a shaky nod. "With my ki."**

"**That's right Goten." he replies approvingly. "Just follow my ki until you find me. I'll probably notice you trying to find me anyways so you won't have to go far. Okay Goten?"**

**The chibi is hesitant, but eventually gives Gohan a nod, which makes the teen smile. He kisses his son's forehead and gives him a tight squeeze before trying to let go. Goten reluctantly releases his daddy's neck and Gohan sets him back in his seat. **

"**Goten," he continues. "This is as hard for me as it is for you, but school is important. Now I want you to be brave for me and get through your first day okay? Try your best and if you have any problems, go to your teacher first before searching for me. I always will make time for you if you truly need me, but I have to go to school as well. Can you do this for me Goten?"**

**Goten nods his head once again. His daddy told him to be brave and get through the day. He really wants to make his daddy proud of him so he figures if his daddy wants him to do it than he will try his best. "Okay daddy. I'll try…" **

"**That's all I ask son," Gohan responds warmly. He looks up at the clock once more and grimaces. Twenty minutes late now. Now that the situation has been rectified, he gives his son one last peck on the cheek and stands up, bidding him farewell. "Okay Goten, I really have to go now. Please be good for Mr. Hitsuijikai. You'll learn a lot from him. I'll see you as soon as class gets done."**

**Goten puts on a smile for his daddy and quickly latches onto his waist for one last hug. "Bye daddy. I love you."**

"**I love you too Goten," he replies. Goten eventually lets go, allowing Gohan to walk to the door. As he opens the door, he gives Goten one last comforting smile before walking out. **

**As soon as the door closes, the teen leans against the outside of it and lets out a shaky sigh, running the palm of his hand across his face. That was so hard for him to do. He finds himself longing for his little boy already, but he knows he has to get to class so he quickly shakes it off and heads towards the high school. Hopefully Videl can keep his mind off of his son for the day.**

* * *

~Orange Star High School~

Gohan now sports a frown on his face as he recalls that moment earlier this morning, bringing the feelings back full force. Difficult doesn't even come close to describing how hard it was for him to leave his son in the classroom by himself. It's only been an hour and a half since then yet Gohan already misses the little boy dearly. It's as if a piece of him isn't here at the moment, and it's leaving him cold and empty inside.

Videl notices the change in Gohan's expression and becomes incredibly concerned. She has learned over their time together that Gohan, while being able to hide his true emotions most of the time, lets his guard down for a brief moment when he's conflicted with difficult memories. She can see clearly in his eyes the sadness that he feels with Goten's absence. If she had any doubts on whether or not he truly loved Goten as a son (as if), they would be completely crushed by just looking at him in this moment.

Gohan had told her that Goten suffered from a severe case of separation anxiety, but it seems as though Gohan suffered from it as well.

Knowing that this is killing Gohan on the inside, Videl can't stand it! Seeing him upset makes her upset since he deserves to be anything but. Forgetting that she is still in class, she makes a move to give Gohan a reassuring hug in an attempt to portray the message that he's not alone here.

He still has her.

Gohan, while a bit shocked at the gesture, welcomes the hug wholeheartedly, receiving her silent message. He's so glad that he has a friend here with him. He knows that she understands how hard it was for him since she has seen him interact with the chibi. With Videl's support though, he knows he can get through the day.

Still though, he knows it's going to be a long day without Goten with him. He really hopes that he doesn't experience too many more moments like this. It makes him wonder how Goten is doing in his absence, but he hasn't felt anything disturbing from his son's ki as of yet. He also seemed to be really determined to be brave for him, so Gohan figures that he will just have to take his own advice. He smiles at the thought of Goten actually teaching _him_ how to be brave.

While this is going on between the two teens, the class has suddenly come to a halt. It seems as though when Videl made her thoughtful gesture towards the demi-saiyan that it caught the attention of the students, and in turn the teacher as well. Gohan and Videl are now the center of attention and they don't even know it.

This causes the Calculus teacher to smirk. Unlike Mr. Rekishika, who is an older teacher with strict disciplinary measures, this teacher is much more laid back. He is just fresh from the university and has recently finished his student teaching, only recently being hired by the high school to become the newest Calculus teacher. He was actually late to his class this morning simply because he got lost trying to find his new classroom.

He can see something developing between the two teens that are currently the center of attention. He obviously knows about who Videl is because of her father and her reputation as the city's greatest crime fighter, but the other kid is a mystery to him. He briefly remembers seeing on his student roster that he is new to the school as well. When he read the new student's name, it seemed to ring a bell to him. For what reason though he is not sure.

The teacher also didn't fail to notice that they weren't paying attention to him as well, but he could care less about that. If the students don't pay attention, it's their problem that they won't be getting information on how to do the homework or the problems on the test. He lets their grades speak for him rather than verbally scolding them.

Still though, it makes him curious. What were they talking about that made them completely forget their surroundings? Do they even realize that they are broadcasting themselves for everyone to see? However, it's when their hug breaks that he finally remembers where he saw that mystery kid again, and his eyes widen in realization.

It's Goku's son!

It's completely obvious to him now! That's why his name seemed so familiar! The last time this particular teacher saw the boy he must not have even been ten years old yet! Now that he knows exactly who Gohan is he's actually astonished that the demi-saiyan hasn't recognized him yet. He must be _very_ occupied with Videl to not notice him.

The thought makes the teacher smirk even more. He tucks his long, black hair behind his ear as he looks on, about to break up the scene that is taking place in front of him. While he has no ill will towards the teen anymore and in fact feels obligated to thank him, he needs to get his class back on track. He can confront the teen on a more 'personal' basis later.

He coughs before addressing the two teens. "While I would say that you're little moment of affection is… endearing for all of the class to see, I would appreciate it if you two would break it up and sit back down so I can continue my lesson."

The class lets out a roar of laughter and Videl blushes deep red at the fact that she's suddenly the center of attention. Gohan however freezes. He would never forget that voice, as it used to send chills down his spine years ago. His fears are confirmed as he looks at the teacher only to stare in those same icy blue eyes that gave him nightmares while waiting for his father to get better from the heart disease.

"S-seventeen?" he stutters.

The bio-android smirks back at the demi-saiyan. So he hasn't forgotten him after all. "That's Mr. Nana (3) to you Gohan. It's nice to see you again."

* * *

**(1) The history teacher's name is Japanese for "historian," a spoof off of what he teaches (history).**

**(2) The Kindregarten teacher's is also a spoof of of what he teaches. I figured the Japanese word for "shepherd" is very appropriate for a kindergarten teacher, and it also conveys to the reader just how his character is. He is basically a shepherd to the children he teaches.**

**(3) His full public name is "Juu Nana," the Japanese number 17. **

Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

ki- energy

gakusei- student

oniisan- older brother (formal)


	11. Tenkaichi Budokai?

**A/N: Hey hey everyone! I thought to make up for the last chapter being late I would update this one early. **

**This chapter mainly serves as a bridge to the second half of the story. Many of my special concepts are explained in this one, so if anything doesn't make sense or confuses you, please do not hesitate to ask about it! These concepts are extremely important for the remainder of the story, so it's important that they are as clear as possible.**

**With that out of the way, I really hope that this chapter is enjoyable! Happy reading everyone!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 10: Tenkaichi Budokai?

~Orange Star High School, Satan City, Age 772~

Class has gone on as normal after that little embarrassing display Videl had put on in front of the whole class, although rumors have now started spreading around about how the daughter of the champ has surprisingly taken to the new kid since she usually seems pretty cold to every other boy that tries to come up to her. It only adds to their astonishment since the new kid seems to be the biggest nerd to ever enter the school.

Videl however isn't paying attention to any of that. _Her_ gaze is solely on the person that she has thought of constantly for the past couple of weeks. Instead of admiration though, a deep concern is in her gaze as she sees the horrified look on her best friend's face.

Ever since Mr. Nana had pointed them out to the class, she had noticed the almost instant change in Gohan's demeanor. It was not an expression she had ever seen on him before: a horrified expression.

Apparently these two have met before, and not under the best circumstances if Gohan's reaction to the teacher is anything to go by. She has spent the last twenty minutes of class trying to go through all of the stories Gohan had told her to figure out where he possibly could know this guy from. She resists the urge to ask him about it in fear of getting caught by the teacher once again, so she'll just have to wait until the end of class to–

*RIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGG*

Speaking of the end of class…

The bell signaling the end of the hour rings throughout the room. As she gets up to move to her next class, she smiles as she remembers that she has a free period next period; since Gohan has the same exact schedule as her, he does as well, making it the perfect opportunity to ask him about his reaction.

Videl starts heading towards the door fully expecting her best friend (and secret crush) to follow her only to find that he is still rooted in his same spot, now glaring daggers at the teacher. Videl is shocked at the animosity that is radiating off of the normally very kind, loving demi-saiyan, and for the first time, she feels intimidated in his presence.

She takes a quick glance at Mr. Nana as well and is shocked to see that he is not affected my her best friends glare in the slightest; in fact, upon further scrutinization, she can see that he's actually _smirking_, unnerving her even more.

"Videl," Gohan suddenly calls her out, his gaze not wavering from the new Calculus teacher in the slightest. The female crime-fighter jumps, not expecting to be addressed. "You go on ahead. I have some things to discuss with 'Mr. Nana' here."

Videl gulps, but then quickly scowls at Gohan. She knows that he knows who this teacher is and she wants answers as to where they met. She also remembers the horrified expression that appeared on his face after he addressed him for the first time and concludes that his past experience with this person whatever it was wasn't that great for the demi-saiyan, so she also wants him to know that he has her support through this.

"No Gohan," she retorts back, surprising both people remaining in the room. Now they both are staring at her, making her more nervous, but she remains defiant, making her way back to Gohan's side. "I see how you're looking at him and I know that you two know each other… and I have a feeling it's not in a good way. Whatever you need to discuss you can discuss it in front of me!"

Gohan is honestly shocked, even though he really shouldn't be. Videl has always had a knack for knowing when something is off with him and this is just another example of that. He ponders briefly if he should make her leave. He doesn't know how he's going to react to Seventeen after the terror and fear that he caused him over five years ago. If things get bad, she could be in trouble.

However, Seventeen doesn't seem to be acting hostile at all. Of course Gohan knows that it could all be part of a front, but the teen demi-saiyan is also an expert at reading expressions as well as reading one's intentions, and Gohan can't feel any evil intentions from the bio-android. In fact, gazing over at Seventeen once more, he doesn't see any hint of malice whatsoever.

Moreover, Videl knows all of his secrets. In fact, if he revealed to her that their calculus teacher's name is Seventeen, she would probably know exactly who this is; she's just never seen the androids in person before. Furthermore, she would most likely end up asking him what it's about at the next possible opportunity anyways so she's going to find out either way.

The demi-sayian sighs. "Fine Videl, you can stay," he finally answers, causing Videl to smile at the Gohan.

This causes a smirk to cross the face of Seventeen as well. "Are you sure you want her here for this Gohan? She's going to find out the truth."

Gohan shoots a glare at the android, although it lacks the prior intensity. What is up with him? Why is Seventeen concerned at all? Better yet, why is he _teaching _at a high school? Doesn't he still want to kill all of the Z-fighters? The teen is completely thrown off by the android's lack of hostility.

What exactly are the android's intentions?

Videl takes this moment to interject. "If by 'the truth' you mean the fact that my dad didn't actually beat Cell, then I already am enlightened." Videl then glares at the teacher as well. If Gohan isn't fond of him, then she isn't either.

Seventeen's eyes widen upon hearing that. He is genuinely surprised that Videl knows that her father didn't actually defeat Cell. After all, he's gone to school for the past five years with all of those blasted buffoons that call themselves humans believing all that nonsense that the afro-haired idiot has been spewing about the battle with the green grasshopper-like android. It enraged the bio-android throughout his entire schooling at Orange Star University.

It didn't help that they were making a mockery of the actual world saviors either, calling them all phonies. Apparently they all missed the Intergalactic Tournament since those 'light tricks' were all on display and were shown to be truly real to all of those that were there.

Yes, the fact that the real saviors are being ridiculed makes Seventeen absolutely livid. People are completely oblivious to the actual events of the Cell Games and refuse to see the light thanks to the words of one incredibly charismatic, influential, moronic man…

So it comes as truly shocking to the android that of all people, Hercule's own daughter is one of the few people to know the actual truth. She's probably the last person who he would have thought would find out since not only would the champ be extra careful around his daughter, but he figured that she probably idolized the man beyond anyone else. After all, he is her father.

Seventeen shakes his head and gets back on topic. "Fine, you can stay," he states, causing Videl to smirk victoriously. He turns his attention to Gohan, but before he can say anything else Gohan beats him to the punch.

"What are you doing here Seventeen?!" he asks the question that has been plaguing him since he saw the mechanical human.

Videl immediately gets to work on the name 'Seventeen' in her mind. She once again goes through her thoughts and tries to recall all of the stories that Gohan had told her about his life when something stands out. The fact that his name is a number rings a bell in her head and once she finally connects the dots her eyes widen comically.

He's one of the androids!

One of the androids that was programed to kill Gohan's father!

Gohan's reactions suddenly make complete sense to her. It explains the fear that he had when he first found out that he was here and it also explains the animosity that was practically radiating off of the demi-saiyan earlier as well. Knowing this suddenly makes her frightened.

What does the android want? What if he tries to hurt her, or worse, Gohan? She knows that Gohan is powerful, but the way he described the androids before made it seem like they were invincible! She has no clue of what this man is capable of.

Oblivious to Videl's inner musings, Seventeen sighs and answers the demi-saiyan's question. "Believe it or not, I came here to make a living Gohan–"

"That's a load of crap Seventeen!" Gohan furiously retorts. He once again glares at the bio-android. "I don't know what you're up to, but I won't let you succeed in whatever your sick, twisted plan is."

Seventeen waves his hands in front of him defensively "Gohan, I'm telling you that I truly don't have an ulterior motive for doing this," he pleads, throwing Gohan off once more. Again, he can't see any trace of malice in the android's gaze. "I've changed, Gohan, you've got to believe me."

The teenage demi-saiyan decides to hear the bio-android out since he can tell that he is being genuine. While his first instinct is to not trust him, Gohan, like his father before him, believes in the concept of redemption. After all, it has happened before with three former enemies, one being this particular android's twin sister. If people like Piccolo, Vegeta, and Eighteen can redeem themselves, then surely Android Seventeen can as well.

"Alright Seventeen, I'll give you a shot to explain yourself," Gohan finally states, dropping his glare at the android.

Android Seventeen gives Gohan a small smile while Videl looks at the android with curiosity. He doesn't seem as bad as Gohan described him. In fact, he seems rather _friendly_! She wonders what happened to change this guy and is now anxious to hear the android's tale.

Seventeen wastes no time is beginning his recollection of what happened. He explains that it all started when Cell had absorbed him. Seventeen claims that he was basically dead when Cell did this, but instead of traveling to Other World, he became incorporated into Cell's system. This is what Seventeen says changed him. He still had his consciousness–he could see exactly what Cell was doing and was well aware of the green androids truly horrifying thoughts–yet he could do absolutely nothing to stop him.

He explains to the two teens that he never knew how evil this creature really was and then it had dawned on him that he was supposed to be the same exact way! This made him realize that he wanted nothing to do with what this… monster stood for.

He tells Gohan and Videl that when Vegeta and Trunks started fighting Cell in his second form that he was actually cheering for the two saiyans to finish Cell off. Seventeen clearly remembers the horror that went through his mind when Vegeta told Cell to absorb Eighteen and he admits that he probably would have broken down into tears if he was able to when he saw Cell absorb his precious twin sister.

After that, he remembers that no one stood a chance against Cell. He watched as both Vegeta and Trunks got the stuffing beat out of them and when Cell announced the Cell Games. He recalls the sadistic thoughts that were going through Cell's head during that ten day wait about how he was going to beat Goku to near death and the torture him after he killed everyone else off just to torture the pure-hearted saiyan more. Seventeen claims that despite all of his efforts he could not tune out these thoughts.

Again, this got the bio-android thinking about how he was supposed to be the same sadistic bastard as Cell. Seventeen explains to the two teens that at this point, all he wanted was for Cell to be killed so that he could finally be free from his clutches. Then, when he thought that the Z-fighters may have had a chance when Goku stepped up to the ring, his hope was crushed when he saw Goku's fighting dwindle and then saw the saiyan completely give up.

Seventeen remembers that when Gohan had started fighting that he really felt bad. Even when he was his own self, he always refused to kill children. He admits that it really didn't feel right to him, and yet Cell was beating this eleven year old child mercilessly. Half-saiyan or not, it just didn't sit well with the android, yet as he had explained to them before, he had no power to stop him; he could only look on horrified and hope for a miracle.

And boy did a miracle come.

When Gohan snapped and transformed once again, Seventeen regained his hope. He remembers cheering Gohan on as he toyed with Cell. He then remembers the pure joy that he felt as he recalls how Cell regurgitated Eighteen. He was so happy for her and was now realizing that he would soon be free as well!

Seventeen then freely admits to the two teens how he was glad when Gohan provided Cell with a bit of torture. Like the demi-saiyan at that time, he believed that the maniac deserved it. He then remembers everything going black as Gohan fired his Kamehameha that finished him off.

The next thing the android remembers is that he was suddenly standing in a gigantic crater where Cell was killed. He doesn't remember how he got his original body back or how he was even alive, but he wasn't going to complain. He tells them that it was at that point in time that he pledged that he would use his second chance to make up for everything Cell did.

The android goes on to explain to the two teens that he had no clue what to do at this point. At first he wanted to go see his sister since he remembers that she was alive, but after nine months of searching he could find no trace of her. He was thoroughly depressed by this since he and his sister were always so close.

After a while, Seventeen recalls that he was living on the streets at the time since he didn't have a job. He recalls watching the Intergalactic Tournament through the window of an electronics store and smirking, thinking that Hercule was finally going to get exposed. It was at this point where Seventeen admits that he hated Hercule for taking credit for the defeat of Cell since he believes that Gohan truly deserved it, not only for saving the whole world, but his life as well in the process.

Seventeen remembers that supposedly an earthquake hit the tournament, causing it to be cancelled. He recalls how he didn't believe that to be true for one second and that he knew that a huge battle was going on. Despite his want to help, he felt like his presence would be more of a distraction than a help, so he stayed put and just cheered for the Z-warriors from afar.

He remembers the announcement after the tournament, about how two of the finalists as well as all of the Intergalactic Fighters were killed by the earthquake. This made Seventeen nervous since he knew from watching the tournament that Gohan was one of the finalists. He admits that he wasn't particularly concerned with the others since he still didn't really like everyone else at this point, and only hoped that Gohan was alright.

Eventually, after a two month search, Seventeen reveals that he found Gohan one particular evening. Of course this comes a shock to Gohan since he doesn't remember seeing the android at all, but Seventeen quickly explains that he was watching from afar when he went on one of his walks through the woods by his house in order to get Goten to fall asleep. This clears up all confusion to Gohan since he knows he can't sense a ki from Seventeen and he knows that he was probably too focused on Goten at the time to notice his presence anyways.

So, after finding out that Gohan was indeed still alive Seventeen returned to the city with peace of mind. However, now he had been living on the streets for pretty much an entire year and at this point, going back to his old ways of crime and stealing was very tempting. He shamefully admits that it had gotten so bad that he was actually planning to rob a bank when something changed him.

He saw his sister again!

There she was, walking down the street with a brown paper bag that looked to be filled with groceries of some kind. She was walking right towards him and he couldn't believe it! Finally his sister was back! Perhaps she'd be willing to give him a hand! He was about to shout out to her when he saw something that stopped him dead in his tracks and made him give up his evil ways for good.

The male android saw his sister walk up to another man and his eyes bugged out when he saw exactly who it was.

Krillin

He really couldn't believe it! At first he thought she was going to beat the bald monk senseless but those thoughts fled his mind when he saw her bend down and actually _kiss_ him! He really couldn't have been more shocked!

This discovery made Seventeen's head spin. Not only had his sister moved on from her former ways, but she was even dating one of those they were going to destroy! And even more, he could see how truly happy she was with him.

As he watched Eighteen and Krillin fly away together in the distance, he suddenly didn't have the urge to rob that bank anymore. He decided to go to college and get degree to obtain a real job, a job that could make a difference in society. He still hadn't forgotten, nor would he ever forget the terror that Cell caused and he wanted to make up for that as well as move on like his sister did. These were his two motivating factors throughout his whole schooling at Orange Star University.

Seventeen explains all of this to Gohan and Videl, and smirks at their shocked expressions. He can tell that they are still trying to process everything that he told them, not that he can blame them. It was a lot to take in.

Gohan understands everything that Seventeen told him. He can understand his thought processes and how he came to the decisions he came to. The demi-saiyan was also watching Seventeen closely the entire time and could tell that he was speaking the truth the whole way through his tale. While still hard for him to believe, Gohan can tell that the android has truly changed for the better. He smiles at the android.

"Well, that was quite the tale Seventeen," he starts. "As hard as it is for me to accept though, I believe that you have really changed. I must say that I'm glad that you decided to give up Gero's goals of world domination and become a productive member of society."

Seventeen returns the smile and says what he's wanted to say for years now. "Gohan, all of this wouldn't have been possible if you wouldn't have defeated Cell, and for both letting me escape that hell that being a part of him was as well as giving me an opportunity to start anew, I thank you. I don't know how I will ever be able to make it up for you, but know that I am truly grateful for what you've done for me."

Both teens are shocked at the android's confession. Videl verbalizes her astonishment. "Gohan," she starts hesitantly. "Is this really the same guy that terrorized you guys five years ago?"

Seventeen flinches at the accusation, but after a moment, Gohan grins his Son smile and walks up to Seventeen and gives him a hug, a gesture that ultimately surprises the android. The way this conversation started, he never thought the demi-saiyan would be so accepting of him.

After Gohan pulls back, he faces Videl and answers her question. "No Videl," he replies, looking over his shoulder at Seventeen again. "This man isn't the same man that terrorized us. He's a changed man and I respect him for that change" He then faces Seventeen once again. "However there are two things you can do for me Seventeen."

"Anything Gohan."

"You can keep the fact that I beat Cell a secret." He explains. "You have to realize that I don't want the attention otherwise I would have spoken up about it earlier."

Seventeen really has a hard time not protesting that since this is something that really bothers him, but eventually complies. "Alright, I won't spill the beans. What else is it that you want?"

Gohan is now the one who is hesitant. Does he really want to tell Seventeen about this current situation with the Z-fighters? About how he's living by himself with Goten and is currently hiding from them? The android does seem incredibly genuine in his promise to help him.

He then turns to Videl. He has told her everything already and she has kept her word. He remembers how he tried to keep everything secret from her for the longest time and it eventually all just came out eventually anyways. He reasons that it came out eventually just because of how often he would see her, but he is eternally grateful for deciding to see her. Now he has an incredible friend.

Seventeen meanwhile knows everything about his history (thanks to Gero). He already knows what he is and can even relate to him in terms of his power. The demi-saiyan can already picture himself becoming good friends with the bio-android, and if that will become anywhere close to the friendship he currently shares with the daughter of Hercule then he will eventually find out as well. Besides, it seems as though Gohan will be seeing Seventeen every weekday for the foreseeable future anyways.

After a few more moments, he decides to tell him. "Alright Seventeen, what I'm about to tell you I have told no one else other than Videl, so it's important that you keep it a secret, alright?"

Seventeen gives Gohan a friendly smile. "I promise Gohan." He answers confidently. "I meant it when I said I would do anything to repay you for what you've done for me. If you want me to keep quiet about something, then you have my word."

Gohan hesitates for one more moment, scrutinizing Seventeen's expression to see if he is telling the truth, and he finds that he is. He quick glances at Videl to see what she thinks. As if reading his mind, she gives Gohan a small smile and nods subtly, giving him the silent encouragement he needs at this point. The demi-saiyan returns the nod before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Alright… It all started after the Intergalactic Tournament…"

* * *

~Grand Kai's Planet, Upper Heaven, Other World~

An intense battle is taking place in the sky on the planet of the highest kai in Upper Heaven, the Grand Kai. Said kai is watching the battle with an inquisitive look, his gaze completely focused behind his 70's style sunglasses on the two blurs in the pink sky, one orange and gold and the other green and white with practiced ease. These are the forms of his two newest (and only) students.

After a draw in the Other World Tournament that took place four years ago, the grand prize being private lessons with none other than the Grand Kai himself, he was debating whether or not to even take these two. After all, technically both of them lost because they both touched the ceiling at the same time (and the ceiling becomes the floor when upside down meaning that they both touched the floor outside the ring), but that hesitation was only for a moment. He remembered how intense the fight was and decided that, while both were technically disqualified, that he would accept both of them under his wing, much to the delight of both fighters.

At first, the Grand Kai was absolutely baffled by the potential that he saw from these particular warriors. They were absolutely incredible fighters, with the kind of power he never thought he would be able to see. Pikkon was a natural when it came to fighting technique and his style was nearly flawless. Throw in a ki that could bring a fully powered super saiyan to his knees and you've got yourself an incredible warrior.

Then there was Goku.

This man is like no one he had ever met before. He was so enthusiastic about fighting, an enthusiasm that he had never seen before. Every time the saiyan would enter the ring he could practically feel the love for battle radiating off of the man. The kai could tell that this is the special quality that makes this man so formidable as a fighter. He can tell that this pure love of martial arts is what motivates him to better himself and make himself that much more deadly as an opponent.

But that's not the only thing either.

He saw something at the Other World Tournament that he would have never thought possible. The pure, raw ki that the saiyan erupted with when he not only crossed into super saiyan territory, but the territory _beyond that_! This 'super saiyan 2' form was able to turn the tides around, which were heavily favoring Pikkon at that point, in the blink of an eye! One moment, Goku was lying on the ground after having just taken Pikkon's legendary Thunder Flash ki attack head on, and the next, he had his fist not only in Pikkon's stomach, but _through _it!

This absolutely baffled the Grand Kai, as well as the other billions of spectators. How did he gain so much power so quickly? The jump in ki was absolutely phenomenal! Before that moment, Goku couldn't even get a good punch in on Pikkon once the green alien from the Western Galaxy decided to go all out. How could he gain so much ki to be able to fatally wound his opponent in a split second?

After getting over his shock though, Grand Kai became deeply concerned. Goku, after dealing that crippling blow, didn't stop. He continued to pound Pikkon into the ground. Punch after punch, kick after kick, he wouldn't let up, and his opponent couldn't do anything to retaliate. It was a good thing that they were both dead already otherwise Pikkon would probably have died from fatal wounds.

The Grand Kai was trying to figure out what was going on. While it was proven that Goku loved to fight, he had seen nothing but purity in the saiyan's heart before and would have never thought that Goku would be capable of going through something like this. Then the Grand Kai looked into the saiyan's feelings deeper, while this was still going on, and could feel something that literally made him shiver:

Rage

_Deep_ rage

The Grand Kai was taken completely aback by the amount of rage he felt from Goku. Sure, it would be understandable for Goku to be angry that he was losing the match against Pikkon. After all, he is a competitive fighter. But the rage he was feeling from Goku was so deep rooted and malevolent in nature that he would have thought that Pikkon was killing his family or something! The Grand Kai then made a decision to do something he normally would never do unless completely necessary.

He decided to read Goku's mind. And when he did, he was shocked at what he found.

The kai saw images of a boy with spiky golden hair and dull teal eyes, who couldn't have been any older than twelve, screaming in sheer agony in the middle of a crazy rainstorm. The Earth seemed to be trembling and lightning seemed to be surrounding his entire form. This boy appeared to be in so much pain that even the Grand Kai couldn't watch for more than a few seconds. The mere thought of the suffering he was going through was frightening to the kai.

He was confused only for a second until understanding took over his mind.

That boy was Goku's son!

The Grand Kai wasn't completely oblivious. He knew of the existence of the form that Goku had taken on, this super saiyan 2 form. North Kai had told him all about it; about how it takes an amazing amount of rage to bring it out, but that the power that comes with it is out of this world. But the Grand Kai had never seen it up close until that point, and it was then that he realized just how much that form could truly change a person if not controlled.

The kai suddenly understood how Goku got that rage. All he had to do is think about his son's suffering and he could get angry enough to bring on this form. However, this rage seemed to be controlling the prize fighter of the Northern Galaxy and this was why Goku became this way. At that point in the fight, he probably pictured Pikkon at the person who was bringing about this agony to his son, and thus, he was making the green man pay dearly for it.

Eventually, North Kai was able to stop his student, claiming that his son (Gohan was it?) was fine. Northie was able to send the saiyan mental images of his son happy and content, which was able to finally quell Goku's rage. At that point, Goku stopped his thorough beating of Pikkon and dropped out of his super saiyan state completely, falling to the ground exhausted. His consciousness followed seconds later. Since neither Pikkon nor Goku looked ready to get up anytime soon, the match was declared a draw before the Grand Kai regained his wits enough to point out the rule breach that disqualified both contestants.

After both contestants were able to regain consciousness (and after Pikkon's dead body healed itself thanks to the healing properties of Upper Heaven's atmosphere) the Grand Kai announced his intention to train both warriors. He however wanted to do something special with Goku.

While the power that Goku possessed was out of this world, the rage that it takes the saiyan to access it was incredibly dangerous. However, the Grand Kai was planning to teach the saiyan to be able to control that amount of rage so that he can use the super saiyan 2 form freely.

That all happened four years ago.

However, despite his best efforts, the highest kai in Upper Heaven still hasn't been able to get the saiyan to control the rage that comes with that form, and it's been hurting both of his students badly. Pikkon, like in the current spar they are having, always has to hold back his true power to give the super saiyan a chance, and when Goku accesses super saiyan 2 to allow Pikkon to go all out, he ends up not giving the Western fighter a chance at all since then _he_ easily overpowers Pikkon and is too blinded by rage to be able to let Pikkon fight back at all. In fact, Pikkon usually gets so devastatingly wounded that it usually takes days for him to fully heal.

The Grand Kai has tried a number of different meditative techniques, calling forth knowledge from all four quadrants of the universe, to help Goku with this problem. However, the stubborn saiyan rejects all of them. It has been puzzling the Grand Kai for so long…

The main aspect of the saiyan's rage is clear: the fact that his son was suffering. It's completely obvious that the man loves his son dearly; every opportunity he gets a chance to he talks about him and brags about him, and the way his eyes glow when he does makes someone who thinks otherwise look like a complete moron. Apparently though, the love that Goku has for his son is so strong that no matter what the Grand Kai tries, he can't have the image of the boy suffering in his head without going through a fit of rage at whoever caused the suffering. He figured out a while ago that Goku then pictures his opponent as whoever that unfortunate person was and can't help but beat them senseless in an unquellable rage.

Over the four years that he's had Goku as a student though, he has learned a great deal about not only him, but his son as well. Through conversations with both Goku and North Kai, Grand Kai has learned that Goku's firstborn son, Gohan, had to go through the same struggle as Goku is going through right now. He learned that Gohan was amazingly able to control his super saiyan 2 form and can now use it as freely as his super saiyan form.

It completely stumped the Grand Kai for the longest time how a mere child was able to control the form while his finest student couldn't even come close. It wasn't until a new piece of information was brought into the picture a year ago that the kai was able to put the pieces together.

Gohan is half human.

Goku is not.

It suddenly came as clear as day to the Grand Kai after that. While saiyans are vastly superior when it comes to physical ability and strength, emotionally, humans are the dominant species. Humans have the unique ability to assert precise control over their emotions, a trait that saiyans don't have. This is the reason why saiyans can be so prideful as well as so wrathful when angered. The Grand Kai realized at this point that it was Gohan's human side that allowed him to finally control the emotions that his saiyan side couldn't, allowing him full control over his super saiyan 2 form.

So currently, the Grand Kai has really no clue how to get Goku to be able to control the rage that comes with super saiyan 2. He continues to think back on past conversations with North Kai, who he as dubbed as the 'saiyan expert' and remembers that even Northie was shocked by the rage that came off of Goku at the Other World Tournament. Grand Kai had asked him why that was and he had answered that Goku seemed to be close to controlling the form when his son was still in Other World training with him. This confused the Grand Kai even more since at the tournament, Goku didn't seem at all in control of it whatsoever!

And suddenly, Grand Kai figures it out.

There was one factor that was different at that time: the fact that his son wasn't there. Grand Kai realizes that the reason that Goku was able to gain so much control of the form before was because his son was there. It's like he was feeding off of his son's presence and he was gaining control himself because of it.

A new idea is formulating in Grand Kai's mind. On Goku's home planet, a tournament is coming up in a few Earth months: the Tenkaichi Budokai. Goku still hasn't used the 24 hours that he gets to visit the living world as of yet; therefore, he should be able to go for the tournament.

The Grand Kai will try to get Goku to fight his son at the tournament. According to both North Kai and Goku, Gohan should be plenty strong enough to push his father hard enough to force him into his super saiyan 2 form. The Grand Kai believes that if he can get Goku to transform in the presence of his son, that he will actually able to fully control himself. After all, according to North Kai, the full-blooded saiyan was so close to it with his son before that it will only probably take one more encounter with his firstborn to allow complete control, and after that occurs, Goku should have life-long (or in his case, afterlife-long) control just like his first super saiyan form.

He is brought out of his musings when Goku crashes to the ground right at his feet, Pikkon landing mere moments later. It's obvious that Goku is completely exhausted since he is breathing heavily and has reverted to his base form. Judging from all of the burns, bruises, and gashes on the saiyan, it can be inferred that he took quite the beating as well. Pikkon on the other hand hardly has a scratch on him and looks as if he could go on for hours. This picture makes the decision for the Grand Kai:

Goku _will_ fight at the Tenkaichi Budokai.

* * *

~Orange Star High School, Satan City, Planet Earth~

It is fourth period at Orange Star High School, which is also one of the three lunch hours for students and faculty. Everyone who has fourth period lunch rushes to the cafeteria where they are all suddenly shocked to find that there hardly is any food! Outrage echoes throughout the room as the entire student body that has fourth period lunch now has to wait for the serving staff to cook more food.

Well… almost the entire student body.

There are four figures that aren't currently angry. Two of them are quite amused by the situation, while another feels bad for the others and somewhat guilty, and the fourth is completely stunned. It is in fact within this quartet of people that we find Gohan, Videl, Erasa, and Android Seventeen.

'Why the different reactions?' one might ask. And what happened to all of the food? Those two questions can be answered by simply looking at the amount of food Gohan has in front of him.

Thanks to his saiyan genes, Gohan has an extremely large appetite; therefore, he requires much more food than the normal human to keep himself going. While both Gohan and Videl knew this, Seventeen and Erasa didn't. It came to a surprise to both of the latter then when Videl had advised them to take their food before the demi-saiyan, predicting something like what had happened to occur. Thankfully for them, both had taken her advice, so they (unlike everyone else in the cafeteria) actually got some food before Gohan took it all.

Which brings us back to the current situation. Both Videl and Seventeen find the situation quite amusing, Gohan feels bad that he's making everyone wait for their food, and Erasa is still shocked at how much Gohan actually took.

Finally regaining a bit of composure, the blond teen turns her attention to Gohan. "Wow Gohan!" she shrieks, causing Gohan to wince at the pitch of her voice. He has a feeling that the frequency would make most dogs howl. "How are you going to eat all of that food?!"

The demi-saiyan in question sweatdrops as rubs the back of his head nervously. Before he can answer however, Videl answers for him. "Oh don't you worry Erasa, he'll eat it all," she replies, giving Gohan a smirk. "It's in his genes."

Erasa's eyes widen even further than they were already and Gohan lightly chuckles. "Yeah… It's all in the genes…" Gohan timidly answers. "Well, if you excuse me, I think I have to talk to Mr. Nana about something."

With that, Gohan waves to the two girls before walking out with the Calculus teacher, taking his extreme amount of food with him. Erasa looks on confused while Videl actually smirks. She knows what they're going to discuss since it was all explained to her after her second period class was let out.

"Videl!" The blond squeals at the raven haired crime fighter. That was at such a high frequency even Videl winces a bit at the sound. "Do you know why Gohan is going to lunch with the Calculus teacher?"

Videl already has an excuse made up. She smirks at the blond. "Gohan had answered one of Mr. Nana's questions in such detail that he was so impressed that he wanted to discuss research opportunities with him at Orange Star U," she explains to her friend.

Erasa is wide eyed at the explanation. "Wow, so Gohan's going to be doing college level research as a sophomore in high school?"

"Didn't I tell you he was a total genius Erasa?" Videl counters. "And this is math research no less. He could discover a much easier way to do double and triple integrations or something like that and get a theorem named after him."

Erasa giggles at her friends enthusiasm. "Wow girl, you seem to be quite the nerd yourself. I knew you were really smart V but I didn't think you'd be so enthusiastic about it yourself."

"Hey, let's not forget who is valedictorian." Videl adds, smirking once more. Her story worked perfectly! "After all, Gohan hasn't been here long enough to take that from me just yet, although I have a feeling that it's only inevitable. *Sigh* Oh well, at least the guy who's gonna take that title over is one of my friends."

"Speaking of Gohan," Erasa adds, changing the subject, "Penny told me something very interesting in third hour about something that happened between you and Gohan in her second hour Calculus class. She said something about you getting up in the middle of class and _hugging_ him?" she raises her eyebrows at the end of the sentence, smirking a rather evil smirk that Videl had no clue she could produce.

Videl now blushes lightly at that and Erasa's smirk widens. _Here we go._ Videl silently comments, dreading the following conversation that will do nothing to quell her feelings about a certain teenage demi-saiyan.

Meanwhile, Gohan and Seventeen retreat back to the bio-android's empty classroom to discuss the math research opportunities…

Yeah right!

"So Gohan," Seventeen starts, gaining the attention of the now contented demi-saiyan who just ate his fill of food. "I've been wanting to ask you something."

Gohan merely gives him a friendly smile. "Shoot Sev."

The android smirks at the nickname before continuing. "I wanted to know if you wanted to enter the Tenkaichi Budokai with me."

The demi-saiyan raises an eyebrow at Seventeen. Is he serious? "Why would you want to enter the Budokai Seventeen? There won't be any competition."

"That why I want you to enter Gohan." he counters. "Besides I need the money. I have so many student loans to pay off and teaching isn't exactly the highest paying job. I figured that with the prize money I could pay them all off easy."

Gohan nods. That's pretty sound reasoning. "That's a good reason, but I don't want to fight in the tournament. I want to stay under cover remember? Besides, what would my classmates say when they find out I can actually fight? I like being the class nerd. It's easier to stay under the radar that way."

Seventeen merely grins back at Gohan. "There's an easy solution to that, genius. Just enter as Junjoubu."

Gohan sighs. The android has him there. However, there's one other thing that he has to address as well. "Well who's going to watch Goten then?"

"Gohan, they have daycare units at the tournament. There's even a special one for the children of competitors in the stands so that they can see their parents fight. Goten will be cheering you on from a safe distance." Seventeen smirks, thinking he just trumped Gohan's highest card.

The demi-saiyan sighs once again. "Seventeen, I just can't leave Goten with a random stranger. What if something happens? I mean I don't really trust anyone besides Videl and Bulma to watch him. Videl's going to be in the tournament most likely and I want to avoid Bulma the most. In fact, the only reason I'm able to be here at all is because Videl assured me that the kindergarten teacher was trustworthy enough to watch him. I don't even know who the person who is running this daycare is."

Seventeen however smirks at Gohan, making said demi-saiyan raise an eyebrow. "Oh Gohan, this is too rich! It just so happens that Mr. Hitsuijikai was one of the people who interviewed me for my job, and in that interview he shared his background with me. Apparently he a big martial arts enthusiast, and it just so happens that he is the one that runs that daycare as well!"

Gohan's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates at the new information. "B-but isn't the tournament during the week?" he weakly protests. "How can he be the one to run the daycare when he has class?"

Seventeen smiles at Gohan. "The whole Orange Star School district gets off for the week of the Budokai, in honor of Hercule. Everyone wants to see 'the world savior' in action."

Gohan sighs dejectedly, completely defeated. He then smirks at Seventeen. "You really thought this through didn't you." Seventeen just grins in return.

"Fine… I'll enter the Tenkaichi Budokai…"

* * *

~Planet of the Kais, Highest Heaven, Other World~

In the highest place in all of Other World, a meeting between two figures is taking place. They both seem to be looking into a crystal ball with great interest and equally great concern on their faces. It seems as though they are both observing events that are taking place in the living realm, events that could decide the fate of the entire universe.

Of the two figures watching the crystalline sphere, one appears to be very tall and broad while the other seems rather short and skinny. The taller figure has a red complexion to his skin while the shorter one a purple one. If one were to look at their faces, they would conclude that the taller, red one seems to have a lot of age to him while the smaller, purple skinned man is rather young. Despite the fact that they look rather far apart in age however, both have the same snowy white hair on their heads, although their styles are staggeringly different; the red figure has long, thin, flowing hair that cascades down his back while the more youthful one has a Mohawk style.

Both of these people are very high up on the hierarchy of the kais. In fact, they are the only two beings that are allowed to even set foot on the ground that they are currently sitting on. These two beings are none other than the Supreme Kai and his assistant, Kibito. They are both the highest overseers of the universe.

And right now, they are keeping an eye on the biggest threat that they have ever seen.

In the crystal ball, one can make out a strange looking spaceship that is entering the atmosphere of a good sized, blue planet. Now one would expect an uproar by the populace of the planet that it is landing on, but it goes by unnoticed as it heads to the ground thanks to a cloaking spell by the powerful wizard flying the ship.

Kibito and the Supreme Kai raise their gazes to each other's eyes. They both share a moment of silence before the youthful looking Supreme Kai slowly nods at his rather large assistant.

"Babidi has landed on Earth Kibito," He states tensely.

Kibito returns his master's nod. "Indeed," He replies stoicly. "We must warn the warriors of this threat."

Kibito makes a move to get up but Supreme Kai holds up his hand, signaling his assistant to stop. "Hold on Kibito," He commands softly. His voice while young and gentle has a commanding tone to it that makes Kibito immediately sit back down across from his master. "Let's see Babidi's plan first. We know he wants to revive Buu, but we don't know exactly how he plans to do that. If we are going to interfere we must make sure we have all of the information we need."

The Supreme Kai knows the rules of the kais. Kais are essentially gods that oversee the universe; therefore, they are very special and have very special properties. They don't age, are immune to all disease, and never sleep. They also have incredibly keen foresight and a superior array knowledge.

However, there are some catches. One is that they have to live in Other World. While kais aren't dead, they share properties with the dead. In order to keep from aging, to stay healthy, and the stay fully alert, they need the special sustaining properties of the Other World atmosphere just like everyone else in Other World.

This makes traveling to the living world incredibly risky. If they were to travel to the living realm, they're bodies would no longer have the immunities that they have in Other World: any diseases they have would surface, they would be incredibly tired since they would not have slept a wink of sleep in their lives, and they would age to however old they are, which would be thousands of years in both the Supreme Kai's and Kibito's cases. If this were to happen, they would die within seconds and would be reduced to white cloud-like souls that would be sent to Other World.

Of course there is a way to prevent this from happening though. There is a protecting spell that can be magically cast to sustain an Other World body in the living realm. It is only known by two people in the universe: the great witch Baba Roshi, and the Supreme Kai himself. This spell allows the body to freely roam the living realm safely.

The spell has a time limit however. Once it's casted, the spell cannot be paused and lasts for only twenty-four hours, whether the person is in the living realm or not. Baba's version of the spell only allows a one-time use for the person she's using it on while the Supreme Kai's version is much stronger, allowing himself and Kibito protection two uses each every 2500 years.

This is why Kibito and him interfering with Babidi is incredibly surprising. The Supreme Kai used his first use of the spell when he killed Bibidi 200 years ago and Kibito just used his first use a year and a half ago to attempt to prevent King Dabura from falling under Babidi's spell. That only gives them one more use each for this entire 2500 year period. This is the Supreme Kai's point that he wants to get across to his assistant.

Kibito nods once again at his master. "You're right as always master. I apologize; I was a bit too hasty to act."

The purple kai merely smiles at his assistant. "That is quite alright Kibito, my friend. I realize that this is a gigantic threat and that you just want to make sure the universe is safe. But let's get back to observing Babidi. It appears that he has buried his ship to avoid suspicion. That must mean that he can't sustain his cloaking spell for that long of a time."

"Indeed master," Kibito replies, now paying full attention to what's going on in the magical sphere. "It seems however that his ki cloaking spell is still working perfectly. That could be bad."

"That's true Kibito, but remember that it has a limit as well," Supreme Kai answers wisely. "Once any one of his minions powers up they're ki will become apparent, but I agree that it will make tracking their movements quite difficult as long as they keep their ki down to a base level."

They both continue to watch the events transpire as Babidi and the two royal demons come out of the ship. It appears as though the wizard is giving them both commands.

"Well, is seems we got here a bit early." The small wizard announces. "We need to be inconspicuous though, otherwise that brat will come and then we'll have to kill him before Buu is ready to accept his energy."

Both Daburas bow to Babidi. The king of the demons however has a comment. "Master Babidi," he addresses his controller with the utmost respect. "There are many high kis on this planet. It would be wise to take them all out immediately."

Babidi gives the Demon King a death glare, which makes said demon gulp. "You idiot! I know there are high kis on this planet! Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Besides, if we kill them right now that's ki that won't go to Buu!"

King Dabura hastily makes an apology to his master. "You're right master," he replies, trying at all costs to avoid his master's wrath. "It was dumb of me to doubt your abilities."

Babidi smirks at his slaves. "You best remember that, now get up you morons." He commands in his usual harsh manner when dealing with his servants. "I found out before we got here that there is a martial arts tournament in two months' time here. Since that saiyan is obviously the strongest power on this planet, he will most likely be there. We will drain his, as well as the others' ki there. By that time, Buu should be ready for it."

Both demons bow to their master before heading back in the ship with him. Both onlookers from Other World look at each other once more, both shocked at this new development.

"Babidi's going to send both King and Prince Dabura to fight in the tournament?" Kibito asks.

The supreme Kai however shakes his head. "Not necessarily Kibito." Supreme Kai answers, confusing his assistant. "He may just send one of his minions to scout and collect ki. After all, two demons with no apparent ki would stick out like a sore thumb there."

Kibito nods. That makes sense. "I think I have a plan of action Kibito," the kai continues. "We don't know exactly where Majin Buu is exactly. Babidi moved him when he first came to Earth. However, whoever collects the ki for Babidi will have to bring it to him. I say that we go to this tournament and allow whoever Babidi sends to collect ki to do just that and follow them to wherever Babidi is. I will use a ki cloaking spell so that we won't be noticed and we will kill Babidi before he has a chance to give that ki to Buu."

The assistant to the Supreme Kai nods in agreement. "Alright master. So in two months we make our move?"

The supreme Kai nods in confirmation. "Yes. We will go to the tournament: the Tenkaichi Budokai."

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy


	12. Tournament Time!

**A/N: Hey hey! Hot stuff coming through.**

**This chapter is probably one of my favorites I've ever written. In fact, the next five or so chapters are probably my favorites to write, which is good timing for then since that will give me motivation to write even with pharmacy school. I may be able to keep this update schedule to once a week still!**

**In case you haven't noticed, I'm super excited about the next part of the story. So far, I haven't seen a Buu Saga like the one that I'm planning on writing so that means that it will be super original! I really want to reveal what I have planned to you all, but that would defeat the purpose of the whole 'reading the story and finding out' thing.**

**I'll shut up now... enjoy the chapter!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 11: Tournament Time!

~Orange Star Elementary School, Satan City, Age 772~

It is nap time in Mr. Hitsuijikai's kindergarten class. The chibis have all had their lunches (all of them were very surprised at how much Goten could eat) and are now settled down for a nice quiet nap before their last couple hours of the day.

Mr. Hitsuijikai looks at all of his students with a gentle smile on his face. He really enjoys his job as the kindergarten teacher at Orange Star Elementary. He loves kids and can't help but think that all of them are completely adorable. Sure, they can definitely be a handful sometimes, but he really wouldn't trade jobs with anyone, even if the pay isn't that great.

He is startled out of his contented thoughts by from what sounds to him like mumblings from one of his students. His smile quickly turns to a concerned frown as he observes one of his students, Goten, tossing and turning about rather violently while mumbling something he can't quite understand.

This makes Mr. Hitsuijikai particularly concerned since he has noticed that ever since his little episode with his dad earlier, this chibi has been nothing but pure sunshine and joy for him. Not only has he discovered that Goten is one of the nicest and most friendly little boys he's ever seen, he is also quite intelligent despite his younger age. Needless to say, he has been quite taken by this particular chibi.

The teacher definitely wants to comfort his student, but he has also learned both from outside research and from experience that it is better for the nightmare to play itself completely through rather than trying to shake the child awake in the middle of it. The child will most likely not notice the shift in reality and thrash around and fear whoever it is that wakes them up, thinking they are still part of the nightmare. So, despite his want to cuddle the chibi close and comfort him, he will just have to wait and let it play out.

Meanwhile, Goten is indeed having one of the nightmares that have been plaguing him often recently. It is a rather intense nightmare once again about him not being able to help his daddy.

* * *

_~987 South District~_

_Goten watches on with wide, fearful eyes as his daddy continues to get crushed underneath the foot of the gigantic, evil man with the long, spiky hair similar to his daddy's. Despite the fact that this man looks a lot like his daddy though, he seems to be the complete opposite. _

_It all started when Goten was playing in the woods by their house. The man had basically dropped out of the sky in front of him and scowled at him. Once over his surprise at the strange man's appearance, fear took over the chibi as he recognized the man as the evil brother of his daddy's daddy from that horrible memory that he was forced to see in the pendulum room. He put his arms over his head and crouched down in fear as the evil man raised his hand to hit him…_

_Only for his daddy to take the hit for him…_

_Goten still has no clue where his daddy came from and how he was able to get in front of him so quickly, but he is extremely grateful for it. _

_His daddy protected him once again like he always said he would!_

_Goten's elation at seeing his daddy faded as he saw the bad man start fighting his daddy. At first they seemed dead even with Gohan actually getting a few decent blows in on Raditz. However, it was all a faint as Raditz was holding back his power significantly. _

_After that, tears started forming in Goten's eyes as he witnessed his daddy take a huge beating… _

…_a beating that is still going on. _

_Goten is brought out of his thoughts by his daddy's pain filled screams as the mean man pushes his foot down even harder on his daddy's chest. At each agonized cry from his daddy, Goten starts to loose himself. His fear is quickly turning to anger as he sees this mad man continue to cackle in laughter over his daddy's pain. _

_Finally, Goten snaps._

"_Hey! You Meanie!" Goten furiously shouts, causing Raditz to stop his laughter for a moment and turn his attention to Goten. Gohan also stops his shouts of agony and looks to Goten, deep concern filling his eyes despite the mortal danger he himself is in. _

_Raditz smirks at the chibi. His scouter is showing that the kid's power is increasing dramatically, but nothing he can't deal with. "Aww, what's the matter?" he asks sarcastically. "You mad that I'm not playing with you?" _

_Gohan's eyes widen at the statement as he realizes what Raditz is getting at. "Goten!" he shouts desperately. "Get out of here while you still c–AHHHH!" _

_Gohan's cut off when Raditz stomps on his chest harder than before, causing him to scream out in pain. The evil saiyan glares at the teen demi-saiyan. "Shut up!" he growls, annoyed that he interrupted his little showdown with the child. Man how he loves haunting children!_

_This only seems to make Goten angrier as he finally loses it completely. "HEY! YOU LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!" he cries, now charging the mean man. _

_Raditz however merely smirks as he dodges Goten's wild fist and backhands the chibi a few hundred yards away. He turns towards the chibi now. "Eager to play eh?" he asks, now grinning evilly. "Well, since you're so anxious to play with your dear Uncle Raditz, I guess I can play with you."_

_Goten sits up and rubs his head with both of his hands. When he looks up though, he sees the evil man walking slowly towards him. All of his previous anger is replaced by pure fear as he continues to watch Raditz stride towards him. That was his best attack! How did the man dodge it?_

_Before Raditz is even able to get halfway to him though, Gohan jumps out of nowhere and puts the saiyan in a full nelson hold. He is clinging to the evil saiyan for dear life despite his serious battle wounds. "You will not lay a finger on him as long as I'm still breathing," he shouts out. Pain erupts from his chest from the shout but he still holds on firmly to his credit. _

_Raditz sighs. However, his expression quickly changes to a smirk as he looks over his shoulder at the demi-saiyan holding on to him. "Well in that case, I guess I'll have to make you stop breathing then." _

_Before Gohan can even process the full-blooded saiyan's words, Raditz elbows him in the stomach violently, forcing him to let go. As the teen is staggering backwards, Raditz quickly shoots a ki beam straight through Gohan's chest, making the demi-saiyan stop in his tracks and collapse, completely void of life. _

_Gohan Son is dead. _

_Goten witnesses all of this and is completely terrified as his daddy is killed right in front of his eyes. His eyes never leave the form of his daddy, even as the murderer of his dad starts pacing towards him, only one thought going through his mind. _

_His daddy is dead… _

_He suddenly collapses as well, bawling his eyes out. Raditz looks upon the scene with a wide, extremely evil grin, but that's just background scenery. Goten wails his sorrows as he runs over to his daddy's lifeless body. He hugs his body close to him, praying to Dende that his daddy is still there. But he knows that he's only fooling himself. Even a four year old knows that a hole in your chest is really bad. _

_It's then he realizes that his daddy died protecting him after he attacked the mean man. Even after he was incredibly hurt, his daddy still got up and held him back for him. He knew his daddy loved him, but he didn't know he would do that!_

"_I'm sorry daddy!" he sobs to Gohan's dead body. As he continues to cry over his daddy's death, Raditz nonchalantly makes his way over to the chibi demi-saiyan. _

"_Haha! Sorry about that kid, but he was getting really annoying," the saiyan suddenly states, smirking down at the distraught chibi. "Now that he's gone though, we can play without any interruption!"_

_Goten looks up and glares menacingly at the full-blooded saiyan, his anger coming back tenfold. "YOU KILLED MY DADDY!" He quickly gets up and charges the saiyan again, winding up a punch like before. The evil saiyan merely steps to the side and karate chops the chibi's neck as he blows past him, resulting in a sickening crack!_

"NOO!"

* * *

~Orange Star Elementary, Satan City~

Goten shoots up in his spot, his shout resonating through the room. He is panting heavily with tears already in his eyes. He looks though the tears to see that he is in the classroom that he has been in for the entire day.

Mr. Hitsuijikai quickly makes his way over to the frightened chibi, but Goten barely notices his presence. He just witnessed his daddy die right in front of him! Sure, he's had some pretty scary nightmares in the past, but he's never seen his daddy die before. It might be due to the fact that he's been away from his daddy for a good six hours now.

The teacher tries his best to comfort the chibi, pulling him into a hug. By this time, the rest of the students are awake and wide eyed at what is happening. They are all confused as to why the teacher is cuddling one of their classmates. Goten just continues to cry into Mr. Hitsuijikai's arms.

The teacher tries his best to soothe the chibi in his arms as he continues to wail as if someone set him on fire. "There, there Goten," he speaks softly, but the boy just continues to sob. The teacher sighs before trying to console him some more. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Goten violently shakes his head negatively. "I JUST WANT MY DADDY!" he cries.

As if his words were magic, the door to the classroom slams open. Goten looks up and what he sees though his tears makes him tremble.

His daddy…

Alive!

Faster than the teacher thought possible, Goten dashes across the room to Gohan. He clings to the teen like a leach and does something that he has never done in front of him before:

He cries in Gohan's presence.

While this doesn't come as shocking to anybody else in the classroom, Gohan is completely stunned. Not even as an infant had Gohan ever seen his son cry! Sure, he's seen signs of him crying before he got to him, but by the time he arrived Goten was always done. This is a first for him, and the thought of whatever would have caused this to happen terrifies the teen to no end.

Gohan knew something bad was happening. He was talking to Videl while they were waiting for the gym teacher to come outside for their sixth hour P.E. class when Gohan had suddenly felt a large pain in his chest. At first he couldn't explain it, but after feeling the resulting coldness and fear coming from his bond with Goten, he quickly realized that something horrible must have happened to his son. Without so much as saying a single word, Gohan sprinted back into the building, making his way to the elementary school as fast as possible, not caring if people saw his real speed in the halls.

When he found Goten in the Kindergarten teacher's arms, as well as all of the blankets and chibis that were around them, he deduced pretty quickly that Goten probably had a horrible nightmare during their nap time.

Gohan immediately tends to the tiny charge in his arms, using his soothing gestures like every other time Goten is upset about a nightmare. He rubs the chibi's back and runs his hand through the chibi's hair, all the while saying soothing things to him while inwardly cursing Piccolo and Dende for making Goten see the Raditz event that caused the onset of these nightmares in the first place.

And like every other time, Gohan's calming gestures work wonders on the chibi. The combination of the feeling of his daddy's hands as well as the incredibly soothing sensation of his daddy's ki calms him down immensely. His crying halts after only a few seconds, while he relaxes in his daddy's embrace.

It was just a bad dream.

His daddy's here, alive and well.

Eventually, Gohan calms the chibi down enough where he can lift his head and speak to the teacher. "Mr. Hitsuijikai, I'm gonna take Goten home for the day. I think he needs it after what happened."

The teacher smiles softly at the teen, still in awe at how he was able to comfort the chibi with such ease when he couldn't even get him to calm a little. Despite his young appearance, Mr. Son seems to be an incredible dad. "I completely understand. I'll see you both tomorrow then."

Gohan nods silently to the concerned teacher, standing up with Goten in his arms. The chibi is now silent, although he is still trembling slightly. Gohan quickly makes his way to the door and closes it absentmindedly, not taking his attention off of Goten.

Despite the fact that he seems to be better now, the teen is still incredibly worried about his son. What did he see that made him cry in front of him for the first time ever? He wants to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.

But Goten interrupts him first.

"I think I'm ready daddy…" he states softly, sadness still lingering in his voice, but there is also a lacing of determination in there as well.

This confuses Gohan. What is he ready for? "You're ready for what Goten?"

"I-I think I'm ready for you to train me again," he clarifies. "You know, like you were doing before."

This shocks Gohan. He did not expect this in the slightest. "But I thought you didn't like that Goten," he responds, now more worried about what his son saw in his dream.

"W-well I don't," Goten answers, confusing Gohan even more "but in my dream I-I saw…. I saw… I-I…"

"Shh, It's okay Goten," Gohan soothes before his son breaks down again. He never wants to see his son cry again and it seems like this particular subject is very sensitive to the tiny demi-saiyan. He doesn't have to explain what it was, but if he wants to train, then he'll do just that. "If you think you're ready to give martial arts another shot though, I won't hesitate to teach you. Just know that no matter what you saw in you dream that I will always be here to protect you."

This however has the opposite affect that Gohan intended on the chibi. Instead of giving him comfort, that statement seems to have shaken Goten up again. "But daddy, in my dream, you–you _died_!"

Gohan pales at the revelation, but quickly comforts his son again before images of whatever he saw flood his head again. No wonder Goten was so upset! He saw him _die_? Sure, Gohan knows that he would easily give his life to protect his son, but Goten must have witnessed it firsthand! He must have felt so hopeless when he saw that, exactly how Gohan remembers feeling once he saw _his _dad getting crushed under Raditz's foot.

No wonder he wants to train now. Gohan distinctly remembers how he felt when he found out that Raditz had actually killed his father. Back then, Piccolo was going to train him, and despite his dislike for fighting, he suddenly remembers how determined he himself was to learn to defend himself.

He never wanted to feel that hopeless again.

As he continues to comfort Goten, Gohan suddenly realizes that _this _is what Piccolo was shooting for when he showed Goten the memory in the Pendulum Room. Of course it didn't have the desired effect right away, but eventually it came to pass. Piccolo had seen this happen with Gohan before, but it took an actual death for Gohan to get his motivation. The Namekian saw how similar Goten is to himself as a chibi and knew that it would take something similar to motivate him.

Piccolo didn't want Goten to go through the same thing though, and it worked! Sure, Goten did witness his death, but the teen didn't _actually _die. Now, if Goten learns to defend himself, hopefully he never will have to witness it ever again. Gohan then contemplates if training Goten is the key to ridding the nightmares. After all, once he has more confidence in his abilities, the chibi won't seem as defenseless in his dreams. Perhaps it will help to train the chibi after all.

However, Gohan is still angry at how the situation was handled. Even though Piccolo's method ended up doing what he had set out to do, Gohan absolutely despises the fact that Goten still has to go through what he's going through right now. He hates the fact that Goten is probably traumatized because if it, just like him. Even if training helps, it will still take a long time for Goten to eventually get over what he saw.

Gohan wants to make sure that Goten doesn't have a childhood like his own, and up until that incident, it was going rather smoothly. Now, Goten may not have physically lost him, but the chibi still felt the pain like he did. It's turning out to be the exact same experience he had! The only difference is that Goten doesn't have to train to defend the Earth against a threat, but who knows how long that will last? The fact that Piccolo had a part to do with this repeat happening makes it that much harder for Gohan to forgive him.

As the demi-saiyan ponders upon it deeper though, he realizes that this is partly his fault as well. He was so afraid of something happening to Goten that he ended up trying to force martial arts on the chibi when he clearly wasn't ready. If that hadn't happened, or if Gohan would have just given his son a more specific explanation when the chibi asked, the Goten wouldn't have been asking for answers in the first place. Perhaps he's being a bit too hard on the Namekians.

Gohan shakes his head to clear up his thoughts. No, they deserve his silence. They were the ones that hurt Goten. It's _their_ fault that Gohan has to comfort his son after a terrible nightmare.

The teen quickly rids himself of his musings. It doesn't matter at the moment. All of that can wait. Right now he has to worry about reassuring his son. "It's okay Goten, I'm right here and I'm not dying anytime soon, so don't worry so much about it okay? It was just a bad dream."

Goten gives Gohan a shaky nod in his chest, accepting his daddy's reassurance greedily. "Yes daddy," he mumbles into Gohan's chest before looking up. He gives his daddy a small smile. "Thank you for always being here and making me feel better daddy. I love you so much."

Gohan returns the smile before hugging the little guy close. It still amazes him how much Goten means to him, but the explanation doesn't matter. "I love you too, Goten, more than anything else in the world. Don't you ever forget it."

* * *

~987 South District~

"Wow Videl! You're a natural!" Gohan excitedly praises, legitimately impressed with his best friend. "You mastered it in less than three months, way faster than I ever expected! Not even my dad picked it up that quickly!"

Videl huffs a bit to catch her breath. Man that technique is draining! However, she manages to grin at Gohan, truly proud of her accomplishment. "Maybe it's because I just had a better teacher."

Gohan shakes his head. "No, you're just that amazingly talented Videl! I can't wait for you to use that on Seventeen tomorrow at the tournament."

The daughter of Mr. Satan chuckles, imagining the look on the bio-android's face once she unleashes her secret weapon. "Haha! Sev will be so surprised when he sees it! He won't know what hit him!"

It has been two months since Gohan's first day of school, also the same day he became reacquainted with Android Seventeen as well as the same day Goten asked to be trained again, and it is now the day before the tournament. Over this time, a lot has been going on in Gohan's life.

To start out, he has been training Videl pretty much every day in order to prepare her for the tournament. He has been giving her special lessons on ki control and last minute tips on sustaining it for longer periods of time. He can't help but be impressed with how well Videl seems to be progressing. Her ki level is growing very steadily, and if Gohan were to compare it to someone, he would say that she is approaching his father's power level before Raditz arrived to Earth. If she is able to power up and amplify her ki, she would surpass his evil uncle easily and possibly be at Nappa's base level! She also has learned to sustain it for a lot longer than before, lasting up to a half-hour in her fully powered up form where she could only last barely a minute two months ago.

Videl has been doing more than training with him though. She has also been continuing to talk with him about his father. As much as she's tried convincing him that he actually misses his father and is mad that he left him, he still continues to deny it, much to Videl's frustration. He still insists that he deserves it, but that he's mad that Goku didn't want to stick around for Chichi and Goten. It truly gets hard for her sometimes not to smack the demi-saiyan upside the head for being so dense to not be able to see what's in front of him.

Besides spending time with Videl, Gohan has also been spending time with his former-enemy-turned-friend, Android Seventeen, or as he is known in public, "Mr. Juu Nana." Since he found out that the bio-android has the same lunch period as him, Gohan spends his lunch every day with the calculus teacher. It is during this time that they talk, whether it be just small talk or something important that has to do with Gohan's personal life.

In addition to spending his lunch with Seventeen, he also invites the android over every Sunday to have a spar. This turned out to be pretty convenient for Gohan since this would normally be the day that he would go to the Lookout to spar with Piccolo, which he hasn't done since the Pendulum Room incident. This gives Gohan his 'fighting requirement' that his saiyan side demands.

Gohan personally likes this arrangement better than the one he had with Piccolo. While Seventeen isn't nearly as experienced as the Namekian, and not as powerful either, he makes up for it with his innovation. He always is able to throw Gohan for a loop, keeping him on his toes. It also helps the demi-saiyan with fighting with his senses, since the bio-android doesn't emit a ki signature.

That fact alone also makes it much more convenient for Gohan. Since neither of them give off a ki signature, he can do his spars with Seventeen right in the area he lives and not draw attention to the Z-fighters. Gohan knows of some really good open areas in the 988 South District that they spar in without threatening the environment around them.

But Gohan really loves the arrangement since this is also the day that he spars with Goten, and Seventeen gives Goten another perspective as another experienced sensei, teaching him what he knows.

That's right, like he had promised the chibi, Gohan has started training the boy again. He admits that it's been hard at times, especially when he spars with the chibi since he can tell that Goten doesn't really like it much at all. Much to the young demi-saiyan's credit though, he has stuck with it and has become determined to learn what Gohan is teaching him, no matter how much he dislikes it. This is a great source of pride for Gohan since it shows how much Goten is growing up, even if he is still only four months from turning five.

Goten has been remarkable with his progress as well. It seems like the little guy is a true prodigy when it comes to fighting, reminding him much of himself as a chibi. While Goten doesn't like the fighting aspect of martial arts, it's completely obvious that he has the potential to be a very skilled fighter. He seems to pick up on martial arts forms and technique incredibly quickly, stunning even Gohan sometimes with how fast he is to pick up certain complex combinations that took Gohan a while to master himself!

There are some distinct differences between himself as a chibi and current Goten however. While Goten loves ki manipulation, he usually struggles with it a bit more than he himself did at that age. Now, Gohan naturally is incredibly skilled at ki manipulation, as he was able to learn everything very quickly, so it really isn't saying much to say that Goten is a bit lacking in this area compared to him, but it seems that he struggles a bit more with it than he thought he would.

Oftentimes, Videl can learn a skill faster than Goten can, which isn't normal since Goten is half saiyan while Videl is a pure human. Saiyans generally have a much more natural inclination towards ki, so this comes as shocking to Gohan. However, Gohan does have a theory of why this is. It is a fact that learning a ki skill takes a great deal of concentration. The teen figures that Goten's short attention span (which he had unfortunately inherited from his father) distracts him much more easily than it would him, making it much harder for him to focus on the particular skill.

What Goten doesn't have in ki manipulation though he makes up for in power. Goten doesn't have the hidden potential ki that Gohan had when he was younger, but the chibi has a lot more raw power. Once Gohan was able to teach the little guy how to release his ki, Gohan was amazed at how strong his son truly was. Goten's base power is much higher than his own at that age. When he was five years old, Gohan barely had enough ki to take on Nappa at his base power when he himself was at full power. However, Goten's base ki level is equal to Nappa's at _full power_, and when he amplifies his ki, Goten's ki level is up to par with Vegeta's back when he first arrived on Planet Earth. It truly astounds Gohan how powerful his little boy is.

Gohan quickly looks over at Goten, who has just woken up from his nap and rushed out of the house to greet Videl with nothing less than an enthusiastic hug. A smile graces his face as he takes in the scene. His boy may be powerful, but he is also the sweetest chibi in the world. He wouldn't change a single thing about him.

"Ane!" he cries happily, quickly jumping into Videl's waiting arms. He's ecstatic to see who he considers an older sister. "You're here!"

Videl smiles fondly at the chibi as she returns the hug. She is starting to love the chibi much like a younger brother she never had and is happy to see him as always. "Yep, I am," she responds. She pulls out of the hug, but still holds the chibi close in her arms. "How was your nap?"

Goten grins widely. "It was great! I had a dream where daddy and I were swimming in the lake and you came over and swam with us!" Goten then jumps out of the girl's arms and runs over to his daddy, jumping into his arms now. Gohan quickly secures a hug from the chibi before Goten leans back a bit. "Hey daddy!" he greets.

"Hi Goten," the teen demi-saiyan responds, smiling warmly at Goten. "I'm glad to hear you had a good nap. So there were no bad dreams?"

The chibi shakes his head back and forth negatively. "Nope, I had an awesome dream about us swimming in the lake with Ane." Goten then puts on an adorable pleading expression. "Can we go to the lake daddy?"

Gohan looks at Videl. "What do you think Videl? Do you think you're ready for tomorrow?"

Goten leaps out of Gohan's arms and back into Videl's. He seems to be playing leap frog between the two teens. He then turns his insanely cute expression on Videl. "Common Ane! It'll be fun! Please?" he pleads, unleashing his puppy dog eyes on the girl.

While the daughter of Hercule has gotten used to Goten's cute act, she still caves almost instantly, smiling while shaking her head. Damn Goten and his cuteness! She swears if it was any other chibi she would be able to resist the look at least a little bit, but when it comes to Goten, it's a lost cause before the battle even begins. "Of course we can go to the lake, Goten. Besides, I _know_ I'm ready for tomorrow." Videl replies, making Goten whoop in victory. She sets the younger Son on his feet before addressing Gohan. "I'll meet you guys there. I have to change."

"You better hurry Ane!" Goten states before running over to his daddy and tugging on his hand enthusiastically. "Common daddy, let's go!"

Gohan chuckles at his son's antics before eventually giving in to Goten's lead. Before his son gets the chance to drag him too far away, he quickly gets out a sentence to his best friend. "We'll see you there Videl."

Videl chuckles as well at Goten's enthusiasm and waves at the duo before heading back to Gohan's house. While it's true that she needs to change, she has an alternate motive for not going to the lake right away.

She has to prepare herself.

The daughter of Hercule, despite her prior beliefs, still has a crush on her best friend. And not only does she still have feelings for him, but they have gotten even _worse_! The more time she spends with the demi-saiyan, the more she falls for the boy. It's gotten to the point now where she can't even be around him when he strips out of his gi top before he hops into the lake without feeling the urge to jump the teen right then and there. The daughter of Hercule is very thankful for the fact that both Gohan and Goten seem completely oblivious to her feelings since it is getting incredibly difficult for her to keep them in check, something that gets pointed out constantly by both Seventeen and Erasa. It's completely obvious to them that she is crushing on the boy, and they tease her constantly for it.

In all honesty, Videl just thought this was a simple crush two months ago. She has had crushes before. In fact, back when she was in middle school, she had the biggest crush on baseball star and martial arts enthusiast Yamcha the Bandit (who she ironically found out is part of the group of Gohan's friends). However, that only lasted for about a month before she moved on.

This however is completely different. It's been two months now and she still has these feelings for Gohan. And what's worse, they don't seem to be going away anytime soon. She is also noticing that these feelings are much deeper than they were with Yamcha back in the day. She is starting to think that this is more than a simple crush.

Is it possible that she is actually… in _love_ with Gohan?

Just thinking about the possibility makes her blush furiously. She is finding it _incredibly_ possible that she is in love with her best friend.

But that's where her dilemma comes in.

She has no clue how the demi-saiyan feels about her. He seems to treat her just like a close friend. She however also realizes that it is possible that Gohan may just be oblivious to his feelings for her like he is about her feelings towards him. She reminds herself that she is the first girl his age that he has had any long-term interaction with, so he might not know how to deal with these feelings or how to show them. She also figures that this is another reason why he is so oblivious to her as well.

Videl quickly finishes changing into her bathing suit and exits the house, heading towards the lake. She has no clue what to do to find out if he actually has feelings for her, but she knows she can't keep hers hidden for that much longer, even to Gohan. It's only a matter of time until they slip…

And she has a feeling that time is coming really soon.

* * *

~Main Tournament Pavilion, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island~

Today is the day…

Gohan is currently walking in his Junjoubu disguise around the common pavilion on the Tenkaichi Budokai grounds ready to sign up for the tournament. The pavilion is incredibly large: multiple booths selling various goods and foods line both sides of the main street that they are currently walking on. There are also a plethora of side paths that diverge from the main one, mainly leading to the many landing pads for air vehicles. In the background near the end of the main road, the huge tournament arena can be seen towering over the entire grounds, making it completely obvious where the main event will be held. Off of the main arena, Gohan can see that there are also multiple side arenas where they hold the preliminary rounds for the tournament.

All in all, it is a grand, worldwide event that has become incredibly popular over the years. It amazes the teen how big the place is. Sure, the arena is a bit smaller than the one for the Intergalactic Tournament, but the grounds themselves are gigantic! It is completely obvious that this tournament is much more accustomed to dealing with the copious amounts of people that come here as well as the contestants.

Videl had told him that her father had won the last Tenkaichi Budokai, the 24th one, seven years ago. It was the first tournament in years since they had to rebuild the arena after the final between Goku Son and Majunior at the 23rd tournament. That fight had left the arena in ruins, and that was the only tournament that his father actually won.

This year is the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai. After restarting the tournament, they had planned on having it every seven years in order for the fighters to have a good amount of time to train in between tournaments. Unlike team sports like football and baseball where the players can make up for others' misplays up to a certain extent, martial artists are fighting all on their own, so they need a vast amount of training and time to perfect the art. Instead of having a grand tournament like the Tenkaichi Budokai every year, a bunch of smaller tournaments take place.

What this does is makes it so only the best fighters sign up for the Budokai. The smaller tournaments usually weed out all of the weaker and lesser skilled fighters. Anyone can still sign up for the Budokai, but those that do that don't have a fighting record with a credible dojo or trainer are put to the test against one of the many instructors that the Budokai hires. In these tests, the instructor will ask you to form a decent martial arts stance, preform a few katas or combinations, and then defend against one of their offensives. This way, one has to have at least _some _skill to enter the prelims of the tournament. This is mainly a safety feature as well as a policy to keep the integrity of the tournament.

Gohan is quietly making his way to the sign up booth to register for the tournament, carrying Goten in his arms. He smiles at his son as he looks at him. The chibi is sleeping at the moment, taking a quick nap before all of the fun starts. Before, he was so excited to see his daddy and Ane Videl fight in this tournament. He had also heard that his new sensei, Mr. Seventeen, is also fighting, and he finds that exciting as well. He may not like fighting himself, but he finds it incredibly interesting to watch.

Well… as long as it's not a fight to the death…

Goten is not garbed in his usual green and yellow kimono. Instead, he is wearing an exact replica of his daddy's Junjoubu costume, the only differences being that his helmet doesn't change his voice and the clothes don't make him appear older. The chibi squealed in delight when his daddy presented it to him this morning since he thinks that Junjoubu is the coolest super hero ever! He immediately changed into the thing and wore it proudly all morning.

Gohan is glad that he liked the uniform. In all honesty, he didn't give it to Goten for the sole purpose of his enjoyment (although he also knew that the kid would flip when he got it). The teen actually fears that some of the Z-gang will arrive at the tournament to show up Hercule. Mr. Satan has been insulting the use of ki as well as his family and friends for years now, and everyone is quite fed up with all of the verbal abuse. It wouldn't surprise Gohan if a few of the fighters like Krillin and Yamcha signed up to give Hercule a piece of their mind.

So Gohan gave Goten a Junjoubu uniform. If any of the Z-fighters were competing in the tournament it is guaranteed that some of the non-fighting gang would come to watch. Goten of course will be cheering from the stands for him. If they ever caught a glimpse of Goten, they would recognize him instantly and know that he is here as well. However, if Goten is wearing the Junjoubu costume, it will just look like he is a huge fan of the super hero.

The disguise, while serving to protect his identity from his classmates at school, is also there to protect his identity from the Z-gang. He is super glad that he has the features in the suit that make him look older than he is. Unfortunately, helmets are forbidden in the tournament, so Gohan had to tie his hair into a rough pony tail and cover his head in a white bandana. He also had to wear sunglasses to cover his eyes since he knows that if one of the z-fighters saw his eyes, they would know who he was right away, no matter how much older he is.

Another precaution Gohan took was that he altered his ki-inhibiting wristbands a little bit. He was able to modify them so that they gave off a ki signature of a normal human. He figured that any Z-fighter would find it incredibly suspicious if they couldn't feel a ki signature from him. This took a ton of research for him to make, but a week ago, he finally figured it out. Now, if any of the Z-fighters do show up, they won't be nearly as suspicious.

There are two things that worry him however. One is the fact that his voice converter was in the helmet. Right now his voice is deeper than it was when they last saw him, but still not fully matured. At the moment, he actually sounds a lot like his dad, who had more of an alto voice. If he ever were in a situation where he had to say something to the Z-fighters, this would be another give away of who he actually is. He will have to find another way to disguise his voice, but as of right now, he doesn't have an idea of how.

The second thing is the fact that his face still isn't covered that well. Sure, the bandana covers his hair and the sunglasses his eyes, but the shape of his face is still incredibly similar to his father's. In fact, he probably looks even more like his father now than he did four years ago. All it would take is a passing glance for the Z-fighters to recognize him. He somehow will need to disguise his face even more, but once again, he has no clue how.

However, he is meeting up with Seventeen and Videl at the sign up booth. Videl had to fly in with her father in order to keep up with appearances while Seventeen just wanted to come a bit later. Perhaps they have a few ideas of how to disguise these features.

Gohan approaches the sign up booth, and to his delight, there aren't any people in line. Smiling an easy going smile, he walks up to the booth. The monk running it smiles as well as Gohan walks up.

"Hello again, is there something else you needed Mr. Junjoubu, sir?" he asks politely, startling Gohan quite a bit as well as confusing him immensely. Obviously the monk recognized his uniform, so the fact that he assumed him to be Junjoubu isn't too surprising since he is known pretty widely as the retired super hero of Satan City. What confuses him is the fact that the monk is talking to him as if he already signed up.

"Excuse me sir, but I didn't sign up yet, although I am signing up as Junjoubu," Gohan states softly, still making an effort not to wake up Goten.

The monk looks back up at him confused, before comprehension dawns on him. "Oh! You must be another competitor! Sorry sir, but there already is a 'Junjoubu' signed up. You're going to have to sign up as someone else."

This shocks Gohan. Someone else already signed up as Junjoubu? Gohan curses his luck. It figures that it would be at the tournament that is broadcasted world-wide where some random fan decides to dress up as him and enter as him.

What is he going to do now?

* * *

Videl has just landed on her father's landing pad. She's now impatiently waiting for her father to stop showing off to the press and fans that have gathered around the plane to praise and suck up to 'the great Hercule Satan.' Much to Videl's irritation however, he doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.

Her father can make her so mad sometimes! Not only has he been taking credit for something he didn't do for almost six years now, but he is also calling the ones who actually deserve the credit fakes! She swears that if it wasn't for Gohan telling her to keep it all a secret that she would have called out her father already.

Thinking about the teenage demi-saiyan instantly lightens up her mood. He truly is her best friend, savior, and more than that. He is the man that drives her crazy with happiness whenever they're together as well as the one who is able to brighten the darkest of her days with just a smile. She would literally do _anything_ for that guy, even something like keeping his true accomplishments a secret so he can stay under cover.

However, that doesn't mean that she won't teach her father a lesson in humility.

The daughter of Hercule smirks as she thinks of her plan that not even Gohan knows about. She will keep her word and keep Gohan's identity a secret to the world. However, if she is fortunate enough to actually fight her father in the tournament, then she knows that she will _definitely _enjoy herself.

She knows that she is so much stronger than her father at this point that it's borderline comical. All she has to do is sense his ki to know this. What Videl plans to do is absolutely humiliate her father in their match and show him that he's not all that he's cracked up to be, and that being the 'savior of the world' doesn't make you a god that can make people follow your every whim and insult those few that don't.

She desperately wants to do more than just that, but she knows that if she used ki to fight her father that one of two things would happen. One would be that Hercule would write off her fighting as 'using a bunch of tricks,' saving his credibility that way like he has for the past five and a half years. The sad thing is that most of the people would believe him since they worship the ground he walks on, making life for her (especially in Satan City) very difficult.

The other scenario would be even worse, not because of the immediate results, but because of the implications it would bring. In this scenario, everything happens exactly as she secretly wants it to. She defeats her father with ki and proves to everyone that ki is real. If this were to happen, her father's mask would be removed and he would be exposed as the fraud he is. However, that would also mean that people would realize that whoever defeated Cell was one of the mystery fighters, and the people would logically connect the dots to believe it was the 'delivery boy,' aka, Gohan.

Not only would one of those two things happen though, but using ki in this tournament would give away that she knows Gohan to all of the people that he's trying to hide from. They would know that someone would have had to have taught her about ki, logically concluding that Gohan would be the only one to be able to do that without any of them knowing. After that, Bulma would most likely track her down and demand her to tell her where he lives, which she definitely would want to avoid at all costs.

So, despite the fact that she will want to really show her father what is real and what's not, she will restrain herself… at least unless she fights someone else who knows ki manipulation, aka Gohan or Seventeen. Gohan, much to her disgust at the idea, had told her that she can justify herself by saying she had to use those 'tricks' to keep up with the trickster that she was fighting.

The daughter of Hercule shakes her head. How Gohan can be so indifferent about being called a trickster she will never understand.

But then again, that's another reason why she loves the demi-saiyan. He doesn't care about fame and fortune, only about the safety of others. He doesn't care if the world thinks he's a fraud; as long as the world is at peace, it doesn't matter to him. He deserves what her father has and more, but he doesn't care that he's not getting any of it and is happy in fact.

She has a feeling that Goten and herself have a lot to do with that, the thought making her grin. She is so fortunate to have met the boy at the Intergalactic Tournament almost five years ago. If not for him, she would still be in the dark about the truth of what ki is and how much of a fraud her father is. Sure, she still was suspicious of her father before she met Gohan, but fighting him and watching him fight in the semi-finals of that tournament really gave her reason to believe her father was lying.

Speaking of Gohan…

She can see the demi-saiyan standing in the distance behind the crowd of people, leaning against the wall. He is indeed garbed in his Junjoubu attire except for the orange helmet, which instead is replaced by a combination of a white bandana and sunglasses with his longer hair tied back behind his head in a ponytail. Videl also finds it amusing that he is also sporting a green bandana that matches his gi over his mouth and nose, making him look like some kind of geeky bandit. She figures he's paranoid about his friends finding out who he really is since, according to him, his face looks almost exactly like his father's. She starts making her way off the plane to greet her best f–

"Videl! Miss Videl!"

The teenager groans. Of course the media would want to talk to her. "What do you want!?" she growls out irritably, not bothering to look into the camera she knows is getting pushed into her face.

The female reporter that addressed Videl doesn't bat an eye at the girl's attitude. She knows how the Satan girl reacts to the press and is quite used to it. Instead she goes on like Videl is happy to see her. "We heard that you are entering the tournament this year since you're finally old enough. What would you do if you have to fight your father?"

Videl finally looks at the camera, completely dumbfounded at the reporter. Sure, the media asks some pretty ridiculous questions, but she is just so surprised at the sheer stupidity in that one. "Umm… I don't know, punch?" she answers in a very simple manner, making it completely obvious what she thinks of the question. How else is she supposed to answer?

"Haha! Don't be silly Videl!" Hercule laughs, slapping his daughter on the back, causing her to stumble forward a bit since she wasn't expecting her father to come out of nowhere like that. "Oh, but seriously Patricia," Hercule continues, "We should probably get going. The champ is out! YEAH!" He finishes by raising two peace signs in the air.

Videl is actually thankful for her father's interruption. As she walks away from all of the reporters, she wonders how many more questions like the ones she was asked she could have taken before becoming suicidal. "Thanks for stopping her dad, she only asked me one question and I already felt dumber just talking to her."

"Haha, common sweet pea, it's not that bad," Hercule responds. "I think it's fun talking to reporters like that."

Videl looks up at her dad incredulously. "How do you find that fun?"

"Well, you just have to know what to say to them. If someone asks you a stupid question, and let's face it, pretty much all of them that reporters ask are, play along with them. If they ask you a ridiculous question, give them a ridiculous answer. Heck, half the stuff I say to the media is stuff that I make up on the spot! It's more fun that way, and you can keep your sanity too!"

Videl looks up at her father once more before smiling. "I guess that makes sense. Thanks daddy!" she answers. She loves this side of her father, the _real_ side. When it's just the two of them and they're not surrounded by the paparazzi, he is actually quite funny and intelligent. He also is incredibly caring and kind to her whenever he's home or alone with her somewhere. She can tell that he loves her dearly. She only wishes that he would bring out this side of him more often.

Hercule leans down to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Anything for my sweet pea!" he announces caringly, eliciting a smile from Videl. "Now then, why don't you go and sign up. I'll be in the champion's suite. I'm already in the tournament since I won the last one." The man looks up thoughtfully and rubs his chin. "Actually, I don't understand why they added that rule."

"Why is that daddy?" Videl asks.

"Well I just don't think that I should get a free pass just because I won it last time." Hercule explains, much to the surprise of his daughter. "Just because I was the best fighter that year doesn't necessarily mean that I'm the best this time around. Besides, I liked fighting in the prelims. It made me feel like I earned my spot in the tournament, plus some of the best fights are there, it's just that no one ever sees them. In fact, my best match was the final round of the prelims against this guy named Yamu. He was probably the next best fighter at the entire tournament; he just was unfortunate enough to be put in my block of the prelims." He rubs his chin thoughtfully once more. "Man I really hope he's here again this year. He'll be a good opponent, that's for sure."

Videl stares at her dad in awe. He seems like a completely different person right now compared to how he acts in front of the camera. Right now, he actually seems _humble_, completely opposite to the arrogant fraud she has been seeing lately. Perhaps she should spend some more time with her dad. Who knows? He could actually confess that he stole the credit to her. If he did that, he would be on the way to earning her respect back. Then she could tell him that Gohan would happily let him continue to take credit as long as he stopped insulting his friends and their techniques.

"Well maybe you should mention that to the coordinators of the tournament," Videl suggests. "They would probably listen to you since you are the 'world champ.'"

Hercule looks at his daughter and gives her a meaningful gaze. "Maybe you're right sweet pea. I will have a talk with Frank as soon as I can. But for now, why don't you go sign up. I'll see you when you fight in the prelims Videl."

Videl looks up at her father, honestly surprised. "You're going to watch the prelims?"

"Well I wouldn't want to miss a second of seeing my little sweet pea fight." Hercule truthfully answers. "Even though I have all of the confidence in the world that you'll get through, anything can happen in those prelims. You could end up like Yamu and end up fighting the next champ there, although I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen."

"What makes you say that daddy?" she asks, knowing that he's going to say that it's because he's going to be the champ again.

Hercule puts a hand on his daughter's shoulder and looks down at her with nothing but pride in his eyes. "Because Videl, I honestly think that you will be the champion this year."

Videl gasps in surprise, tears filing her eyes. She had no clue that her father thought of her that highly as a fighter. He has surprised her a lot in the past couple of minutes, but she never expected him to say something like that! Looking into his eyes, she can tell that he is completely serious too. "R-really daddy?"

Hercule nods affirmatively. "I really do sweet pea. I saw you training in the training room last night, and I can tell that you're incredible. You're technique was flawless, even though I couldn't tell exactly what style you were using, and you looked incredibly strong. I can tell that you're stronger than even me now sweet pea, and by quite a lot too."

Videl honestly doesn't know what to say, so she just hugs her father tightly. He had just admitted that she is stronger than him, and not only did he say it, but she can tell that he believes it as well!

She can feel him return the hug and start rubbing her back with his hand like he used to when she was little. This whole time, she thought her father had changed into an arrogant asshole that only wanted fame and fortune and thought that nobody could beat him. In reality though, he is the same loving father that she remembers before the Cell Games, just not in front of the camera.

"Videl, I also saw something else in that training room," he continues as soon as the hug breaks. He looks into his daughter's eyes seriously. "I saw you using those techniques that the fighters from the Cell Games used…" he adds, Videl's eyes widening at the information. "But we'll discuss that in the private suite. I have a lot to tell you and explain to you but not right now. Go on and sign up. We'll talk when the tournament's over."

Videl is elated by this news. This is exactly what she was waiting for! But for now, she complies with her father's wishes. "Alright daddy, I'll see you at the prelims then!" she quickly gives him a peck on the cheek before walking away. Hercule, smiling at his daughter, retreats to his suite, thinking of ways to explain to her why he did what he did.

Videl meanwhile is anxious to tell Gohan of her latest development with her father. She looks to the place where he was before, but sighs when she sees that he left. He must have gone over to the sign-up booth, seeing her talking to her father and deciding to give them some privacy. She smiles. He is always so thoughtful!

She quickly makes her way over to the main road that goes through the largest pavilion. It is here where she sees Gohan, or rather 'Junjoubu,' by himself leaning against the entrance to the arena. He seems to be waiting for her. She quickly makes her way over to him. "Hey, 'Junjoubu,'" she greets, using his super hero name since they are in public.

Junjoubu's eyes widen upon seeing her. "H-hey m-Videl!" he replies.

She quickly goes in and gives him a quick hug. He stiffens at first before quickly returning the hug. As soon as they break apart Videl sizes 'Junjoubu' up. "I like the new look, 'Junjoubu.' Personally, I like it a lot more than that orange helmet with the frickin' antennae. I know you have to disguise yourself, but seriously, that just didn't work."

Junjoubu just laughs nervously at that. "Seriously though," Videl continues, "I have so much to tell you."

"Videl–"

"I was talking to my dad earlier and he was completely different, but in a good way!" she continues. "I think I know why too!"

"Videl, I–"

"He said that he saw me training last night!" she says excitedly, cutting Junjoubu off once again. "I think he saw me using ki and then it hit him that what he's doing is wrong!"

"VIDEL!"

The excited teen freezes in her tracks. That voice came from behind her, but it sounded so familiar. She turns around and pales at what she sees.

Another Junjoubu, wearing the same exact uniform as the man she was talking to minus the green bandana, carrying what looks to be a mini Junjoubu. Of course she knows the mini Junjoubu to be Goten, but if that's true…

Then _that_ Junjoubu is Gohan…

And the one she was talking too _isn't_.

"G-gohan!?" she calls out in shock, too dumbfounded that she actually thought that someone else was him to remember that she shouldn't be saying his actual name in public.

Gohan quickly shushes her. "Videl!" he harshly whispers. "I'm Junjoubu, remember?"

Videl's hands immediately fly to her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I just am so confused! I thought you were him!" she explains, pointing over her shoulder.

"… you thought I was a brick wall?" Gohan asks, clearly amused.

Videl quickly looks back to where the other Junjoubu was only to find that he disappeared somehow. This shocks Videl even more. _Where did he go!?_ she asks herself. _I swear he was right there! He's fast!_ Realizing that Gohan is still waiting for her answer, she quickly turns around, clearly embarrassed. "I swear, he was right there!" she tries to explain. "He was wearing the same uniform you were and everything, right down to the white bandana on your head and the same sunglasses too!"

Gohan sighs. "Wow, that must have been the fan that signed up as me for the tournament. Geez, he must look like me if even _you _were fooled by him."

Videl however is still reeling. The guy she was talking to was _more _than just a simple doppelganger that happened to be one of his fans, she knows it. Until the real Gohan showed up, she swore that it she was actually _with _Gohan. His voice sounded like him and he even had the same nervous mannerisms that the demi-saiyan has! Sure, she found it strange that he was nervous in the first place, but she just wrote it off as pre-tournament jitters due to the fact that his family was here.

How could she make that mistake?

Suddenly, Gohan gets wide-eyed. "Videl, you didn't… tell him anything… did you?"

"No, I didn't…" Videl answers, just now realizing how bad it could have been. She could have blown everything, but thankfully she was so excited about the developments with her father to discuss anything too revealing.

This also causes Gohan to let out a breath in relief. "That's good, so I guess there's no harm," the demi-saiyan replies, now much calmer. "Now I have a question for you Videl. What should I do about my face? Sure, I have the eye and hair coverage, but my voice sounds so much like my father's, not to mention my face is the exact same."

Videl comes out of her confused thoughts at Gohan's question. She will _definitely_ have to find out who that other Junjoubu is later. But thinking about him gives her the perfect solution to his predicament. "Why don't you plant a voice chip in another bandana and tie it around your mouth and nose. That way you'll cover your face and you can change your voice as well."

Gohan thinks over the suggestion before grinning at his best friend. "That's genius Videl! That would totally work, plus it would look so cool!" he excitedly states. "After I drop the little guy off at the daycare I will run out and get one and quickly plant the voice chip!" Gohan then looks at Videl lovingly, sending a shiver up her spine and making her blush a bit, but Gohan doesn't notice, "You are amazing you know that?"

Videl quickly tries to regain her composure, giving him her best smirk. "Of course I do! I _am _Videl Satan after all."

Gohan chuckles good-naturedly, stirring up warm feelings within Videl at the sound. However, as soon as he starts laughing, he freezes, stiffening significantly. He then turns around suddenly, and gasps, stumbling backwards a few steps before regaining his composure.

Videl looks at the demi-saiyan, now extremely concerned. He seems legitimately scared, and nothing scares the demi-saiyan other than one of his loved one's in danger, Goten in particular. "Gohan," she asks nervously as Goten starts to stir in the demi-saiyan's arms, most likely startled awake by his daddy's emotions. "What's wrong?"

The last thing that she expected to hear came out of her best friend's mouth. "Goku… he's here… somehow, Goku's here!"

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf

sensei- teacher, master


	13. A Reunion of Sorts

**A/N: Hey hey! What's up my homies?**

**I've got news: I start school tomorrow! As exciting as that is it will also take a bunch of my time, so I may have to change the update schedule to bi-weekly, but as of now it will stay the same. I will let you all know next week how it's going to go with my school work and make a decision accordingly. **

**Now this chapter dives into Goku's perspective a bit. It's one of my favorites because of it. Goku will be informed of what has been happening with Gohan in this chapter, so you don't want to miss that confrontation.**

**I also introduced a Junjoubu doppelganger last chapter. I'm curious to know who you guy think it is. I will be giving more hints in future chapters (including this one), but most of them are really subtle. I already gave another subtle one last chapter. While I normally don't ask for reviews, I am wondering how well I'm hiding who he actually is so if you could please leave a review (or PM, that works too) on who you think the other Junjoubu is, that would be greatly appreciated. **

**With that, let's commence Chapter 12!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 12: A Reunion of Sorts

~Main Tournament Pavilion, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island, Age 772~

The day is finally here.

The day _he_ comes back.

Piccolo flies through the air towards Papaya Island wearing a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. He knows that today is the day that it all will happen.

Goku will come back the living for twenty-four hours.

And instead of seeing his son, he will spend it fighting.

He truly can't believe Goku! Perhaps Gohan is rubbing off on him a bit too much and it's altering his view on the man, but it just seems like Goku is just proving his gakusei right. Everything Gohan had told him about how his father would rather train and go on adventures than take any actual responsibility to be a family man just keeps becoming more and more like reality to Piccolo.

At first he thought his gakusei was nuts when he came up with this theory. The Namekian had seen Goku and Gohan together; they had a connection that he could only dream of having with Gohan. He never in a million years thought that Goku would _willingly_ choose to be away from his son unless it was completely necessary, a theory that he had _believed_ to be true. Even as he listened to the teen demi-saiyan rant about how Goku wasn't there all of the time, he _still_ had the man's back, thinking that Gohan was just trying to direct his anger at his father.

However, what happened almost three months ago changed his mind on the matter.

* * *

**~The Lookout, Korin's Tower, Two and a Half Months Earlier~**

"… **and that's about everything. After he calmed down and noticed that you all were coming, he panicked, quickly repressing his ki and teleported away using that damn Instant Transmission technique!" Piccolo finishes his tale harshly. "I have no idea where he went, but I assume that he's gotten his hands on another one of those damn ki inhibiting wristbands by now, so it will be just as difficult to find him as before, probably more so since he will be on higher guard now."**

**Piccolo huffs in frustration as he falls silent, allowing the others that gathered on the Lookout to process what he just told them. The Namekian has just gotten done telling the Z-warriors (plus Bulma) what had occurred just a half hour earlier on the Lookout; an explanation of why they felt Gohan here for the first time in years. **

**Piccolo kept his word to his gakusei. He didn't tell the others that he was seeing the teenaged demi-saiyan for the past year and a half or that the reason he's staying away is because he hates Goku. What he did tell them was a story he came up with ever since he started meeting with Gohan secretly. **

**He told them that Gohan had come to him under dire circumstances; that he was looking for relief from rather harsh nightmares that he had been having, being desperate enough to seek help from his sensei. Piccolo had told everyone else that he started arguing with Gohan about how he wouldn't even be having these nightmares if he wasn't hiding from everyone, and after that, since Gohan was already on edge due to these nightmares, a fight ensued. Gohan had gotten angry enough to transform into a super saiyan and a battle begun.**

**He continued the story by telling them that they had been fighting for a while until Piccolo had noticed Gohan's wristband sparking from his increasing ki. The Namekian then told them about his plan to make Gohan angry enough where his ki would become too big to contain in the wristband. Piccolo revealed that he had made a comment about what Gohan was doing was foolish and that he didn't have what it takes to live on his own with Goten, a comment to which had Piccolo's desired reaction. He knows Gohan inside and out and knew that he would be furious if he was ever doubted to be able to do something when it came to his adoptive son. **

**He then explained to everyone that Gohan was angry enough to transform to the second level, which shattered the wristband and allowed everyone else to sense him. He told them that he tried stalling Gohan long enough for everyone to arrive but that Gohan caught onto his plan too quickly and swiftly fled. **

**Piccolo carefully looks over all of the Z-fighters and concludes that everyone seems to be accepting the explanation rather well. After all, everyone on the Lookout knows how close he and Gohan are and thus it seems plausible for him to seek the Namekian out first. Nobody really seems to be questioning it at all.**

**Well nobody except for one person…**

**Vegeta glares at Piccolo fiercely. He isn't fooled by the Namekian's rather intricate lie. The saiyan has been keeping a keen eye out for the eldest kakabrat ever since he ran away four years ago, so his ki sense has been particularly sharp over that time. He has reason to believe that the Namek has been seeing Gohan for a while now since he has picked up rather large ki spikes in Piccolo's ki without him fighting anybody. At first he thought the Namek was just undergoing intense training, but the incident today has him thinking otherwise. **

**He found out today that his suspicions of the kakabrat having one of the ki inhibiting wristbands are true. He then remembers that The Namekian's ki would only spike to battle levels on Sundays at a certain time each day. The saiyan prince now suspects that Piccolo and Gohan have been meeting in secret for spars every Sunday for at least the past year. Since the spawn of Kakarot has that blasted wristband on, it would explain why the Namek's ki would spike to battle levels without actually appearing to fight anybody. **

**Vegeta decides to keep this information to himself for now. He **_**will**_** find that brat and his brother and when he does–**

"_**Hey everybody!" **_**a voice rings throughout the Lookout. **

**A very **_**familiar**_** voice.**

**Everyone (minus Piccolo and Vegeta) looks around the Lookout, searching for the source of the voice, knowing that it's impossible for the owner to be here, but also carrying the hope that he defied all odds anyways.**

**A round of light-hearted chuckling from seemingly nowhere knocks everyone else out of their searching craze. "Goku?" Krillin asks hesitantly, not willing to believe just yet that he can hear his best friend laughing. "Is that really you?"**

**After a bit more laughter, Goku regains his composure. **_**"Yep! It's me! It's great to see everyone again!"**_

"**Goku how are you even talking to us?" Yamcha asks, still clearly dumbfounded he's hearing Goku's voice in his head after said man has been dead for the last four and a half years. **

**Vegeta scoffs at everyone. "Bakas," he mumbles under his breath. "It's obvious he's talking to us using that blasted kai; the moron's done it before." The saiyan prince is indeed curious at why the buffoon is speaking to them though, especially **_**now **_**of all times.**

**Goku however is oblivious to Vegeta's comment and explains himself. **_**"Well, just like before, King Kai is letting me talk to you all telepathically. I can even see all of you!" **_**Goku exclaims excitedly, much to the shock of everyone else sans Vegeta and Piccolo. In fact, Piccolo hasn't even batted an eye throughout this entire process. **

**The dead saiyan is surveying everyone on the Lookout. They all look so different; he finds himself fighting off laughter once again when he realizes that Krillin actually has a full head of short, black hair on his normally shiny bald head. Clearly a lot of time has passed since his demise and everyone has carried on happily, much to his pleasure. **

**He really didn't want anyone to dwell on his death.**

**It seems he picked a really good time to speak. Originally he was just going to talk to Dende since he is the Guardian of the Earth, but when he had noticed that many of the others were there as well, he became even more excited at the prospect of seeing everyone again, so he persuaded King Kai to let him talk to everyone, arguing that it would cut down on the time he had to use the blue deity as a telephone. **

**Goku gets a good look at the group gathered at the Lookout. Not everyone is there, but all of the fighters are, along with Bulma for some reason. He doesn't know why they are there, but they must have been discussing something important, probably about the safety of the planet.**

"**Goku!" Krillin yells at the sky. The former monk briefly thinks of how ridiculous he must look, yelling at the sky to apparently no one, but quickly rids himself of the thought. "Are you still there buddy?"**

**The dead saiyan blinks in Other World, startled out of his thoughts. He scratches the back of his head sheepishly on instinct. **_**"He he sorry about that. Anyways, yes. I wanted to tell you all something! I get to come back Earth for twenty-four hours!"**_

**Piccolo's eyes widen at this. Goku's coming back for a day in the living world? This is definitely a blessing in disguise. Perhaps King Kai told him about Gohan and he is coming back to talk some sense into his son's dense head. **

**Perhaps he can bring Gohan back to everyone!**

**He is startled out of his thoughts by everyone else's gasps of surprise and then cheers. They are all clearly very enthusiastic about the dead saiyan's return. "Are you serious Goku?" Yamcha yells back, echoing the thoughts of everyone else on the Lookout. It just seems too good to be true!**

**Goku smiles on the other end. "Yep! I get to come back for a whole day! And guess what day I'm coming back? The day of the Tenkaichi Budokai! I can't think of a better way to spend time with you guys than at a martial arts tournament!"**

**After that statement everyone goes crazy. Everyone seems to be overjoyed. They get to see their friend again, and see him doing what he loves. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien can't wait to see what he's learned in Other World. Vegeta actually smirks at the thought that he will get to finally settle the score with that third-class imbecile, even if it is at a petty human tournament. Bulma is just ecstatic that she will get to see her best friend again, whether it's at a tournament or not. **

**But someone clearly **_**isn't **_**happy about this news. **

**In fact, it makes him furious.**

**Piccolo cannot believe what Goku said. He had truly believed that the dead saiyan wanted to make things right with his eldest son, but clearly he doesn't even know a thing about it. In fact, he hasn't even noticed that Gohan isn't even here.**

**Goku's coming back…**

**To fight…**

**Suddenly Gohan's theories about his father's lack of responsibility make complete sense. With Kami in him, he knows the rules about the dead and how the heroes are allowed twenty-four hours to visit the living world. After all, the former Guardian had to go through the same thing with Gohan Sr. Goku could have come back at any point, but chose a stupid tournament to come back for? **

**Even in death, Goku thinks with his fists first.**

**Piccolo knows that the dead usually aren't allowed to see what's going on in the living realm, so perhaps Goku seriously doesn't know what happened to Gohan ever since Chichi died. But still, it's the principle of the matter. Goku would rather spend his day–his **_**only**_** day**_**–**_**fighting at a tournament rather than spending that precious day to catch up with his eldest son and to get to know his youngest son. **

**Piccolo huffs in frustration, but it goes unnoticed by everyone else in their momentary glee. He doesn't know what to think of the man anymore. He spent a year and a half defending Goku, saying that he would never choose fighting over family, or at least fighting over Gohan… **

**But clearly he was mistaken. **

**He patiently waits for Goku to go on. He knows that his conversation isn't over, but his hope that he had before about Gohan being able to reconcile with his father and finally move on is now shattered. He knows Gohan will stay away from the Tenkaichi Budokai to stay under cover, so he knows that Gohan will not be able to see his father that day anyways.**

**Goku is overjoyed to see everyone so happy at the news. He doesn't notice the changed demeanor of the Namekian, so he just continues on cheerfully. **_**"I'm glad everyone's excited! I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this! I can't wait to fight you all again and see how much you've all improved, especially Gohan."**_

**That's when Goku notices something that confuses him. It's very clear that something very important was happening before he chimed in, yet Gohan isn't here gathered with all of the warriors. This both surprises and disappoints the saiyan. **

**He was really hoping to see his son again, even if only for a few moments. **

**He voices his confusion to everyone. "Hey guys… Where's Gohan? If you all are here shouldn't he be here too?"**

**Everyone's mood seems to drop at the dead saiyan's question. They all know that Gohan has been hiding from them for the past four years; in fact, the very reason they're all on the Lookout in the first place is because they had all felt the demi-saiyan's ki for the first time since he ran away. **

**After a few moments of tense silence, Krillin is finally the one to break it. "Well…. Goku–"**

"**He left already!" Piccolo snaps, cutting off the now not bald monk. "He had to take care of Goten, so he left early." The Namekian expertly hides his true feelings to Goku using his normal gruff tone of voice, fooling the saiyan completely.**

**Goku smiles in Other World. That's just like his son: putting Goten above all else. Even before the youngest demi-saiyan was born, Gohan was always treating him as if he were the most precious thing in the entire world. He's truly proud of his eldest son.**

"**Well it's good to hear that he's taking good care of the little guy," Goku replies, causing everyone else to glance around at each other nervously. "Can you pass the message to him then? King Kai is starting to get impatient again so I can't talk much longer. I guess I'll see you guys in a few short months!"**

* * *

~ Main Tournament Pavilion, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island, Present Time~

Piccolo never got the chance to tell Gohan about his father's return. After that day, Gohan hadn't returned to the Lookout, and still hasn't. It worries the Namekian a little bit, but he can't help but feel he deserves his gakusei's silence after how everything ended up.

He _definitely _could have handled that situation better.

Piccolo lands on one of the side paths of the tournament grounds. He quickly makes his way to the main pavilion and starts towards the sign up booth, lost in his thoughts. He really needs to prepare himself to face Goku today. He _will_ tell the dead saiyan about Gohan and will let _him _decide what to do about it. Right now, the Namekian doesn't have much respect for him, so he will need to prove to him that he _can _put Gohan above fighting.

Even then though, Gohan is impossible to find. He has that stupid ki inhibiting wristband on and if he or anyone else even got close to him, he would know right away. It really seems ho–

"Gohan?!"

Piccolo's eyes widen significantly as he hears a teenage girl's voice shout his gakusei's name. It was quite a distance away so he barely caught it with his extremely sensitive hearing, but he turns around anyways to see if he's actually here.

What he sees almost makes him loose his balance.

He can see a tall man wearing a green gi with a full body black spandex suit underneath and a white bandana on his head with what appears to be long, black hair tied up in a ponytail. His back is to him, but he doesn't need to see the man's front to know who it is. He recognizes that uniform since Gohan had shown him once when he was talking about his super hero identity 'Junjoubu.' That isn't what confirms to him that it's Gohan though.

It's the girl he's with.

He sees a girl with short, raven black hair and deep amethyst eyes staring at Junjoubu with a look of utter surprise and shock. She seems to be completely caught off guard by his presence, probably thinking that the man wouldn't show up at the tournament. But the thing that Piccolo instantly notices is that the girl fits his gakusei's description of his best friend, Videl Satan, perfectly. It has to be her, and knowing that, the Junjoubu that she's talking to _must_ be Gohan.

This makes Piccolo smirk. So Gohan is at the Tenkaichi Budokai after all. The flame of hope that died before is rekindled.

Perhaps there still is a chance at reconciliation after all!

* * *

The day is finally here!

Goku's extremely excited to see everyone again! He just arrived at the tournament via Baba's magic, and now is in front of all of his old friends. They all seem to be too dumbfounded by his mere presence in the living world to even move towards him, probably analyzing if he's real or not. The thought makes the saiyan chuckle.

The sound of his laugh seems to bring everyone out of their trance. Some people, like Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar are so happy to see Goku that tears start welling up in their eyes; others who are more reserved such as Tien and Master Roshi just look on stoicly, but those who really know them can see that they are just as happy as everyone else.

Goku is immediately charged by those on the verge of tears all at once, making the saiyan stumble back a bit. He looks down to see that they all are now releasing their tears that they were holding back. He quickly hugs them back to the best of his ability (as much as he can hug five people at once). He then looks over at the others that are still there.

Three people look indifferent to his arrival. A little lavender haired boy, who Goku instantly recognizes as a little Trunks, seems to be confused by everyone's actions and is looking up at him curiously. Eighteen looks on with a neutral expression on her face, not really caring if the one she was technically supposed to kill is back. The third person is actually a little blond haired girl that Eighteen appears to be carrying. Goku can tell instantly by the expression on her face that she is Krillin's daughter since he's seen the expression on his best friend's face quite a lot when they were training. It's the same expression he had when awed by something. The fact that they don't really seem that excited to see him doesn't really shock the dead saiyan.

What does however is the expression that is on Piccolo's face.

Both Vegeta and Piccolo seem to be giving him glares, as if actually angry he's here. Vegeta he understands a bit. His anger probably has to do with his pride and the fact that Goku died before they had a chance to settle the score with each other. The Saiyan Prince has always been paranoid about being the strongest. The fact that he has always been a step ahead of him probably enrages the Prince to no end, so he can see Vegeta being angry.

Piccolo is a mystery to him though. Sure, the Namekian used to hate him like no other, but that was all in the past. Piccolo has changed from those days ever since he started training Gohan, so–

That's when something else hits him.

Where are his two sons!?

Goku is incredibly surprised that his sons aren't here, Gohan especially. He thought that Gohan would be ecstatic that he's back in the world of the living. He figured that both he and Goten would come here to see him.

This development disappoints the saiyan immensely. He was so excited to see his children, Gohan in particular. He knows he loves Goten, but he and his youngest just don't have the same connection as Gohan and he have. He can't explain why that is, but it doesn't really matter at the moment anyways.

He knows that Chichi died a few years ago; he saw her at the check-in station in Other World, although she was only a spirit, and ever since then he has visited her in Lower Heaven every so often. That fact makes it even more confusing for Goku since he knows that either Krillin or Bulma would have gladly taken both of his sons in to their homes, so shouldn't they be with one of them?

Perhaps this is one of the reasons Piccolo is so angry. Does his anger have to do with the reason they're not here?

Goku drops the embrace of his closest friends, his expression becoming suddenly serious as he stares down the Namekian. Piccolo meets his gaze, but only continues to glare at the man. Everyone looks on with confused expressions as they witness the staring contest continue, not knowing what it's about until Piccolo finally addresses the dead saiyan.

"Goku," he states curtly, gaining the attention of everyone. "I would like to talk to you about something… alone. It's important and will only take a moment." He then turns, his characteristic white cape fluttering in the wind as he walks away to somewhere private.

The dead saiyan watches the back of his former enemy as he disappears around one of the corners. Piccolo never likes to talk to anyone other than Gohan unless it's incredibly important so the significance of what he wants to talk about isn't lost on the full-blooded saiyan. Perhaps it is about what he thought: about why Gohan and Goten aren't here to greet him.

Goku finally gazes at everyone else. Everyone (besides Vegeta, who is still glaring at him, Eighteen, who looks indifferent to what's going on, and the chibis, who are just looking on curiously) has a look of concern and sadness on their faces, giving Goku the impression that they know the reason behind Piccolo's strange behavior.

Something happened to his two sons after Chichi died.

He just doesn't know what… yet.

After another few moments of silence, Goku addresses his audience. "I guess I should go after him huh…" he states.

Krillin, who is being the most pronounced member of the group, nods his head and puts on a sad smile. "Yeah Goku, go ahead," he answers, echoing the thoughts of most of the others. "Don't worry, we still have plenty of time to catch up, although I don't think you'll like what Piccolo's going to say…"

"… What do you mean Krillin? Did something happen to Gohan and Goten? I find it strange that they're not here."

The now not so bald monk looks at Goku nervously. "Well… a lot of things have changed since you died… but I think Piccolo will explain everything. You should go talk to him."

Goku just nods solemnly at his best friend. Obviously something big happened since he and his wife died, and somehow it involves his two sons. He quickly excuses himself from everyone else before heading off to where Piccolo retreated to.

As soon as he makes it around the corner Piccolo appears in front of him and pins him to one of the walls. Since the place they are at is deserted, they can freely talk about what has happened over the years without anyone else hearing in.

Goku struggles against the Namekian's grip, but can't break free due to the shock that he's even pinned down in the first place. He tries to say something but Piccolo beats him to the punch.

"You're a selfish bastard, you know that?" he grinds out, anger coming off of him in waves.

Goku finally is able to wrestle his way free, shoving the Namekian away from him. Piccolo allows the dead saiyan some space but he continues to glare daggers at him. Goku just looks on even more confused than before, but wisely puts up his guard in case Piccolo decides to try and pin him again. "What are you talking abou–"

"You could have used those twenty-four hours at any time," Piccolo interrupts harshly, now on the verge of yelling. "But instead of coming to visit your children and see how they're doing you pick an idiotic tournament to come back so you can go one more round with everyone!"

"Piccolo, what are you talking about!?" Goku retorts incredulously. He doesn't understand what's going on! Why is Piccolo so angry at him for coming back for a tournament? Then something else pops into his mind. "Does this have something to do with why Gohan and Goten aren't here to see me?"

"Ding! Ding! Just as smart as ever!" Piccolo answers sarcastically, surprising even himself. Usually he isn't one to get all riled up by someone and he _never_ uses sarcasm, but he's always acted differently when it comes to Gohan. "There's a reason why they both aren't here to see you Goku, do you have any idea why that is?"

"Piccolo–"

"Answer the question Goku!"

The dead saiyan sighs and shakes his head. "No, I don't."

Piccolo growls at Goku. "You left!" He shouts, not caring that he might attract unwanted attention from the Z-warriors. Luckily they're out of hearing range of anyone for a half a mile or so. "You had a chance to come back but refused to!"

Goku's eyes widen at the news. "B-but that can't be right!" Goku defends. "I talked to Gohan about this after he died. He was completely fine about it by the time he got wished back… what happened?"

Piccolo tries to make himself calm down. He's reacting too harshly to this man. It's completely obvious in his expressions that he is deeply concerned for his two sons, Gohan especially since he is the one that he talked to. The Namekian realizes that he can't blame Goku for not knowing what happened on Earth during his absence since he knows that the dead can't follow current events. As angry as the thought of him picking a tournament day to come back makes him, he has to see it from the dead saiyan's perspective too. He probably thought that Gohan would show up for the tournament since he knows that Gohan actually likes fighting now.

Piccolo takes a deep breath and physically relaxes. Goku notices this and lets out a relieved sigh and lowers his defenses now that his former enemy doesn't look like he will attack him. "Piccolo," the saiyan tries again, concern running off his voice like a stream. "What happened to Gohan and Goten?"

Piccolo replies to the saiyan calmly, now ready to explain everything. "Did you know that Chichi died about four months after you did?"

Goku nods his head solemnly. "Yeah," he answers. "I met her at the Check-In station, but she wasn't able to keep her physical body so she's in Lower Heaven. I still do see her though, at least once a week."

Piccolo returns the saiyan's nod, glad that he doesn't have to explain that too. "Alright, well when she died, Gohan didn't really take her death too well…"

The Namekian proceeds to explain everything that happened within the last four years. He tells Goku about how Gohan was taken in by Bulma and lived at Capsule Corps. for about two months after Chichi's death, and during that time refused any help in taking care of Goten. He explains to the saiyan how eventually, after receiving a rather large sum of money in a court case that he fled from the Briefs and hid himself using ki inhibiting wristbands that he had made with Bulma, taking Goten with him, and relocating somewhere else. He also explains to the saiyan that even he still has no clue where they both live these days.

Piccolo then tells the saiyan that Gohan has been hiding for the past four years since, doing his best to stay away from everyone else besides Goten. He states that even on his own at the age of twelve that his gakusei has been raising Goten with great care, announcing that he looks at the chibi as his own son, and it's with great pride in Gohan that he tells Goku that he has been doing a remarkable job at it as well.

He then reveals to Goku what he never revealed to anyone else: Gohan's meetings with him. Piccolo feels as though Goku should hear what Gohan has thought about him ever since Chichi died, explaining to Goku that Gohan had come to him to help him work out his angry feelings about him. He takes time to carefully explain to Goku Gohan's reasoning behind why the teen demi-saiyan was so angry in the first place: the fact that he refused to come back.

"He really missed you Goku." Piccolo explains to Goku. The dead saiyan looks completely at a loss for words right now, probably thinking over everything that the Namekian said. "He still does," Piccolo adds. "He is still hiding from everyone because he still is angry that you left. He says it's because you left Goten and Chichi, but I know the real reason."

"He's mad that I left_ him_, isn't he?" Goku replies, much to the shock of Piccolo. The Namekian regains his composure quickly though and nods in confirmation. Goku sighs in defeat. "I kind of figured after everything you told me."

"Indeed Goku," Piccolo answers. "You had explained your reasons to him before he got revived and he seemed fine with them, so he shouldn't feel guilt over your death like he claims he does. He feels–"

"Abandoned," Goku interrupts, sighing once again. "He was fine with me staying in Other World until Chichi died according to what both you and she told me. She was his last living parent left…"

"Yes Goku," The Namekian answers once again. He is honestly surprised that Goku is putting together all of this on his own right away. "And after she died, his mind started playing games with him. He thought that you had abandoned him since you had the choice to come back and refused. He might have been fine with it before…"

"But that's because he still had his mother," Goku finishes for the Namekian again.

Dende he feels like an idiot now! Goku should have seen Chichi's death coming once he died. He knows how strong a saiyan bond is with their mate and should have realized that once he broke it for the second time that she would go into a deep depression. He just figured that Gohan and Goten could get her out of it but apparently he was wrong.

Goku knows Gohan better than he knows himself. Everything that his son did makes sense to him now! He could tell how Gohan reacted before Piccolo even told him, and it makes him feel incredibly guilty that he caused Gohan to seclude himself from everyone else…

Well everyone else other than his baby brother.

Goku wasn't shocked to hear that Gohan has been taking care of Goten on his own as if he is his own son, although a great deal of pride swells up within him at the news. After all, Gohan has a connection with the chibi like none other, himself included. In fact, it finally became clear to Goku throughout this whole conversation why he seems to have a much deeper connection with Gohan than he does with Goten.

He has a parental bond with Gohan.

He doesn't with Goten…

Gohan does.

For some reason, fate had decided that Goten is _Gohan's_ son, not his. Sure, Goku's the one who provided the chibi with half of his DNA, but he's not the one who has the bond with him. Instead, Goku sees Goten in a similar light as he does little Trunks, although a bit stronger than that, more like an uncle would see their nephew. He knows that it takes more than just nurturing to create this bond, but for some reason, Gohan was able to create this bond with Goten instead of him.

He realizes that deep down, he knew this all along. Goten had clung to Gohan like Gohan had clung to him. Even during the only week that Goku got to know his youngest son, the infant seemed to be most comfortable and happy around Gohan instead of him. Heck, he never even cried in front of Gohan, and infants cry all of the time! Goku then reevaluates why he stayed in Other World.

Is it possible that he was jealous of Gohan's connection with Goten?

Goku shakes the thought before it even has a chance to form in his mind. He would _never _be jealous of his son for his incredible bond with Goten. How can he when he has a similar bond with Gohan? No, that is not the reason he stayed dead. He actually had a legitimate excuse–to protect the Earth–and Gohan understood that.

But as he thinks about it further, he realizes that while the Earth has been safe ever since he died, his son hasn't been able to live a normal life like Goku intended. What good is living in a safe world if the life you're living is a shell of what it used to be? He knows that living in constant hiding isn't the way that Gohan _should _be living and the thought of his decision to stay dead had a role to play in that pains the dead saiyan more than any physical injury he's ever sustained.

Perhaps the decision he thought was right the entire time… was _wrong_!

He knows that another reason that he remained dead is because he had already died once before. He felt as if it was just his time to die and that nothing could have prevented it. But he has been thinking about it ever since this discussion started, and he realizes that other Z-fighters have died more than once as well. Both Krillin and Chiaotzu have died twice and are alive currently, and the group has been much happier off because of it. He realizes that this is no excuse either, and that if he was still needed by Gohan that he should have come back.

Even if it was for the good of the Earth, he shouldn't have left his eleven year old son to care for his infant brother as a father. He forgot that no matter how mature Gohan acted that he was still a child himself. He needed his father to help raise him…

And he let him down…

In Goku's mind, Gohan has a legitimate excuse to be angry with him. He let his son down, refused to come back since he saw Gohan as a mature adult who has already grown up rather than a child who needed the nurturing care of his father. He now knows that he screwed up almost five years ago, and that he can never return to the land of the living, but maybe if he is able to apologize to Gohan and admit that he was wrong, he will be able to finally forgive him and make his life whole again.

Now he knows what he needs to do.

"Piccolo," He states, startling the Namekian with the amount of fierce determination in his voice. "This tournament can wait. Let's go find my sons."

Piccolo smirks at the dead saiyan. _That's _exactly what he was looking for: it seems as though Goku has found the error of his ways and is willing to make up for them. "Well Goku, no one has been able to find them in over four years now, so finding him within twenty-four hours, let alone having a heart-to-heart conversation with him within that timeframe would be pretty much impossible." This causes the saiyan to drop his head, discouraged by the Namekian's words.

"However, we seem to be in luck," The Namekian adds, causing Goku to look up at him once again. His eyes are alight with new hope, hanging on Piccolo's every word. "Because I know that Gohan is already here at this tournament."

* * *

~Block One Arena, Preliminary Arena Complex~

"Few! I don't have to fight against any of the gang!"

Gohan breathes out a breath he didn't even know he was holding after picking his number for the preliminary tournament. He got the number 12, putting him in the first half of block one of the tournament. He had purposely waited for every one of the Z-fighters that entered to draw their numbers, and found that none of them are in the first half of block one. In fact, none of them are even in block one at all, meaning that none of them will be in the same arena as him, making him let out a sigh of relief.

After finding out that his father somehow magically came back to life, he immediately fled the scene, taking Goten and Videl with him. The chibi had woken up, startled by the intense emotions coming from his daddy. Thankfully for Gohan, he was able to draw from Goten's peacefulness and calm down, explaining to the chibi that what he felt is nothing to worry about. The small demi-saiyan accepted his daddy's reassurance instantly.

After that little situation, Gohan had decided to avoid the main pavilion for the moment and meet up with Seventeen. Fortunately, it was rather easy for him to find the bio-android as he was actually looking for them, having just signed up at the booth. Goten had reacted instantly, jumping from Gohan's arms to his new sensei's. Seventeen had accepted the hug enthusiastically, really growing a soft spot for the chibi demi-saiyan.

As he watched the bio-android catch his son, he remembered what Videl had suggested about hiding his face and voice by using a bandana, noticing at that moment that Seventeen always wears one around his neck. After Goten finished telling Seventeen how excited he was to see him fight, Gohan had asked him if he could borrow his bandana to complete his disguise. The dark haired android had looked confused at the request, but obliged to it nevertheless and lent it to the demi-saiyan. Gohan had thanked him profusely, now much more confident in his disguise once he was able to get a voice chip in the piece of cloth, which only took him a few minutes.

So the group of four proceeded to the sign-up booth to sign up Videl, Gohan making sure that none of the Z-fighters were there beforehand. He wasn't sure if they had all signed up already or not, but he didn't want to take any chances of running into them, especially with Goku back in the land of the living for a reason the demi-saiyan can't explain. He just can't face him…

Not yet…

After Videl had signed up (the monks had instantly recognized her and had praised her father much to her annoyance), Gohan decided that it was time to drop off Goten at the daycare for the competitors' children. He had explained to the chibi what the daycare consisted of the day before and while he had been sad that he would be away from his daddy again, the last two months of school have made the separation anxiety lessen significantly. Goten still prefers his daddy to be with him, but being away from him for a longer period of time doesn't scare him nearly as much as it did prior as long as the chibi is with someone familiar, much to the relief of Gohan. While Gohan's glad that his little boy still needs him, he's really glad that Goten isn't as terrified of being away from him anymore.

It still didn't make it easy though. Gohan found himself once again incredibly reluctant to leave Goten at the daycare. School is one thing, but the Tenkaichi Budokai is a gigantic, world-wide event and even the slightest possibility of his son getting lost in all of those people still frightens him. He has a feeling that if it wasn't for the fact that the person in charge of the daycare was Goten's own kindergarten teacher that he wouldn't have left him there at all.

But he did, and after a rather clingy goodbye where Videl and Seventeen practically had to tear Gohan away from Goten and shove him out the door, they all went to draw their lots for the prelims. Once there, the officials had explained how the preliminary rounds would work.

Since the former champion had an automatic bid to the finals of the Budokai, there were fifteen spots to fill in. Normally, there would only be seven for a total of eight, but due to the increasing popularity of the tournament, they decided to double the amount of finalists to make up for the increased number of participants, which this year is well over 300 people!

They then explained the preliminary tournament. Each competitor would draw a number and then based on the number they drew, they would be placed in one of eight blocks of 'mini tournaments' where the winner of each half would advance to the finals. Due to the fact that there are only fifteen spots available, only one contestant from block eight would be able to advance. Each block would get its own arena with two rings in each where the contestants from that block will fight. This cuts down on the time of the preliminary matches. They also explained to everyone that no one that isn't competing can enter the preliminary arenas, so the fights that take place will be out of the public eye.

"So, you're in the first half of block one then," Videl speaks up, looking over Gohan's shoulder at the number he drew. "I'm in the second half of block one, so we don't have to fight each other luckily." She adds, showing him her number 33.

Gohan gives Videl one of his classic Son grins, which she can't help but return. Videl finds herself getting lost once again in the demi-saiyan's amazingly stunning orbs, his sunglasses on his head since they are inside and there's none of the Z-gang in the arena. She had been doing this a lot for the last couple of weeks whenever she would look into his eyes. She is just mesmerized by how they seem to sparkle the tiniest bit when he smiles at her or how deeply onyx they seem to be. It's like looking at the precious gems themselves, and she finds herself drawn to them like a fish to bait.

Gohan, to her surprise, doesn't seem to break her gaze. In fact, she swears that he's looking back at her just as intensely as she's looking at him. This realization sends a sudden sensation of butterflies to the fully human teen's stomach, giving her the slightest bit of hope that he actually does have feelings for her as well that go beyond just a normal friendship. This is the first time that he's done this, so the discovery is huge to her.

"Well, looky here," a voice interrupts the staring contest, causing both teens to blush slightly before turning to a smirking Seventeen. He gives them both a knowing look, making Videl blush harder and Gohan give him a confused expression. He shakes his head before he continues. "I got 359, meaning I'm in block eight. It seems that none of us will have to fight each other, and also that none of us have to fight any of the others either."

Both Gohan and Videl smile at the news. At least they know that they will get a chance to fight each other in the finals. After all, barring some really strange situation, they all should be able to make it through their preliminary matches rather easily and advance to the finals since they don't have to fight anyone within their group of ki users.

"Attention all participants!" a voice suddenly rings out throughout the arena via the speaker system. "Please report to your respective arenas at this time! The preliminary rounds will begin shortly! That is all."

Seventeen smirks at the two teens. "I guess I have to head out. See you guys in the finals and behave yourselves!" he shouts, chuckling as he leaves the arena. Videl blushes slightly at the last comment while Gohan just looks on confused again before they both bid the bio-android farewell.

* * *

~Block Arena Six, Preliminary Arena Complex ~

There he is.

Goku is currently looking at his son, or "Junjoubu" as he calls himself, from a distance across the arena. He is in the costume that Piccolo had told him that he would be in: the green gi with black spandex suit underneath and the white bandana on his head covering his hair. He also has the sunglasses that cover his eyes as well as a green bandana that covers his mouth and bottom half of his face.

Goku sighs as he looks on. Gohan really has gone through great lengths to disguise himself to make sure that no one could find him. He would definitely have a hard time telling that it is Gohan if it wasn't for the description of the uniform that Piccolo had given him. He even can't feel his ki as it feels as though he were a normal human, but Piccolo had also mentioned the ki inhibitors that his son had designed to mask his true ki level.

However, he can definitely tell that it's him as he looks closer. Even with the bandana, he can still make out the distinctive features of his face that are so much like his own. He can also tell by the way 'Junjoubu' is holding himself; the way he subtly sways back and forth as he patiently waits for his match to be called; the way he looks around the arena for the other competitors, scouting everyone out so that he can have every advantage possible, even though it's pretty much guaranteed that he will win his half of the block.

He smiles at that. His son is never one to take things for granted.

Goku has his ki suppressed so that Gohan can't detect his presence, Piccolo's idea. The Namekian had convinced the dead saiyan to not run straight up to him and talk to him, but to wait until they were alone. While it goes against his urge to see his now teenaged son, he has so far resisted.

But it definitely hasn't been easy…

It really did take everything he had to make the decision to not come back to life, truly believing that the Earth would be better off without his presence. If not for that adamant belief along with the survivor's guilt that he had, he would have not hesitated in the slightest to come back.

The thing is, ever since Piccolo had told him about what his son thought of him, Goku has realized that Gohan didn't believe that to be true. According to his former enemy, one of the major reasons Gohan is angry at him is because his son had thought that he had stayed dead because he preferred training over his family… over him.

That revelation had shattered his heart into millions of pieces. That statement couldn't have been further from the truth. Does he like Martial Arts? Yes. Does he like to train? Absolutely. Does he love to fight stronger opponents and test his strength against the best there is? Most definitely. Would he rather train in the afterlife than come back to his two sons?

_Hell_ no!

The only reason he stayed in the first place is to make sure that Gohan never had to fight for his life against another incredibly powerful enemy; to make sure Goten was never forced into battle like Gohan was; to make sure that his family was able to live in a world of peace rather than one of fighting battle after battle for the sake of the entire planet.

He admits that he has been having a blast in Other World. Learning under the greatest martial arts master in all of existence in the Grand Kai, who is able to teach him techniques and skills that he would never have been able to even conceive, and training along with such a sparring partner such as Pikkon, who can push him to his absolute limits and is overall an incredibly friendly and genuine guy, he'd be lying if he said that hasn't enjoyed himself. It's like a dream becoming reality for the pure-hearted saiyan.

He also admits that when the Grand Kai brought up his idea to go to the Tenkaichi Budokai with his twenty-four hours that he had become excited. He thought it could be a really good way to be able to see everyone again and have fun with them. However, that wasn't his primary idea of using his time.

Goku wasn't blind to the rules and was well aware that this was a one-time opportunity to go back to the Living Realm: King Yemma made that quite clear when he checked in. He really wanted to spend those hours with his two sons, and he didn't know if the tournament was the best place to do that.

However, when Grand Kai said that he would be fighting Gohan in the tournament to help with his control of his super saiyan 2 form, he became ecstatic. It was like knocking two birds out with one stone: he got to get some much needed training of his super saiyan 2 form, and since he knows his son enjoys fighting now, he would also be able to spend some quality time with his eldest son doing something that they both love.

Ever since Gohan had left Other World, he has been longing to see him once more. He never even got to properly say goodbye to him when he left because he left so suddenly when wished back! He has missed his entire family so much, but he missed his first born son the most. It's like he's just not complete without him, and he never really realized how much this was true until Grand Kai told him his plan to help control his super saiyan 2 transformation.

Much like Goten and Gohan can draw from each other's presence, Goku drew a lot of peacefulness and control in the presence of Gohan. He has a feeling that if it wasn't for Gohan being there for his first transformation into super saiyan that he would have lost himself completely against Frieza. It's the same thing with his super saiyan 2 transformation, and he now realizes that the Grand Kai is right:

He needs Gohan.

He doesn't only need Gohan to master his super saiyan 2 transformation though; he needs Gohan to be in his life. Having him angry at him is killing him on the inside. He needs his son's forgiveness if he ever will be able to attain peace of mind again. Even though Goku knows that he can never come back to the land of the living ever again once his twenty-four hours are up, he will be able to go happy if he knows that his son has forgiven him for his decision, a decision that he has concluded that he was wrong in making.

Leading him back to his current predicament. He really wants to go over to Gohan this very moment and give him a big hug, apologizing profusely and explaining to him that he _is _more important than training, that he only made the decision to stay in Other World with _his_ best interests in mind. But now is not the time. There are too many people here. He figures once he is able to make it into the finals that he will be able to get more privacy since there won't be nearly as many people around, and most of those that will be will be members of the Z-gang, making it that much easier.

"Would numbers 259 and 260 please make their way to the ring one please!" a monk shouts using a megaphone, startling Goku out of his rather intense thoughts. He realizes that it's his turn to fight as he drew 259. He shakes his head to rid himself of his thoughts and focus on the current situation. After all, he has to pass the prelims in order to talk to Gohan during the finals.

Goku quickly makes his way to the ring. His opponent is already waiting for him impatiently. He looks to be a teenager around the age of sixteen and has on a brown gi with nothing underneath, a classic symbol of the Satan dojo. The teen has short, light brown hair and appears to be scrutinizing the dead saiyan with his lime green eyes before they widen and he lets off a laugh, apparently finding something about Goku highly amusing.

"Oh wow!" the teen laughs, confusing Goku to no end. "You look just like nerd boy! I can't believe that one of _his _relatives is fighting is a tournament!"

That just confuses Goku more. "What are you talking about?"

For some reason, that statement just seems to crack the teen up more. "Oh my Dende! Gohan obviously got his stupidity from you!"

After hearing this boy say his son's name, he quickly realizes what the kid is talking about. He narrows his eyes in annoyance. It's obvious that this teen somehow knows his son and doesn't think too highly of him for some reason. How someone can dislike Gohan he honestly has no clue, but he doesn't like the way that he's talking about his son.

Instead of retorting to what the boy is saying, Goku just drops into his classic turtle school stance, daring the boy to attack him. He was going to test the kid out and see what he was capable of, but insulting his son is something that hits a sore spot with the saiyan. Now he's just going to win this as quickly as possible. He doesn't want to deal with the teen anymore.

Thankfully, the teen seems to get the memo and drops into a rather decent Satan style stance. It's obvious that he is one of the top students at the dojo. He probably would have gotten pretty far in the prelims if he hadn't drawn Goku right off of the bat.

"Alright, you know the rules," the referee states. "You lose if you fall out of the ring, give up, or are knocked out. You will also be immediately disqualified if you unfortunately kill your opponent. You will have 15 minutes to finish your match. If neither competitor has claimed victory by this time, the judges will decide who the winner will be. Are both fighters ready?"

Goku nods his head, not taking his gaze off of his opponent while the teen smirks while nodding, thinking that he has this match won since he is facing one of 'nerd boy's' relatives.

As soon as the whistle is blown, the teen feels as if all of the breath in his lungs is forced out all at once. He dry heaves at the sensation and falls to the ground clutching his stomach in a great deal of pain that he didn't know could even exist. He weakly raises his head and as his vision begins to blur, he looks into the glaring eyes of his opponent.

"Don't you _ever_ insult my son ever again, or it will be worse next time," Goku states calmly, yet the tone of voice he uses makes it incredibly clear that he is angry at the boy and that this I no empty threat. Soon after his statement, he turns his back to him and walks away as the teen passes out from the pain.

"Knock out!" the ref announces, clearly shocked at how Goku was able to deal so much damage to knock him out so quickly in one blow to his opponent. "Number 259 advances!"

Goku quickly exits the ring, looking around for his son once more. He finally finds sight of him and is surprised to see that he is staring at him through those dark sunglasses of his. The dead saiyan hesitates a little before he smiles lightly at his son.

He swears that behind that bandana his son returned his smile before looking away again. The fact makes Goku elated. He looks on as he notices that in the other ring, Junjoubu is up to fight. He can't help but grin as he sees his son take a stance that he doesn't quite remember, but figures that he worked on his own to achieve. He really is a great martial artist, despite the fact that he's only sixteen.

As he watches his son fight his opponent, he thinks about how he's going to approach him and what exactly he's going to say. He knows it will take some effort on his part, but Goku has no doubt in his mind that he will be able to reconcile with his son.

* * *

Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

ki- energy

gakusei- student

baka- idiot


	14. Revealed at Last

**A/N: Surf's up!**

**... Alright I have no idea why I said that, but oh well. **

**Seriously though I am super excited about this chapter. Some serious progress gets made in this one and I had so much fun writing it. This is definitely my favorite part of this story so I hopefully will be able to continue updating weekly. It depends on if I can get Chapter 15 written by my next update. School will definitely be a handful if this last week was anything to go by, but we'll see what happens. **

**Again, once you finish reading this chapter, I would really like to see your feedback on who you all think this mystery Junjoubu is. I give some more hints on who he is in this chapter including a HUGE one in the first scene. I want to see if you guys can figure it out before I reveal who he is next chapter. Please let me know!**

**Anywho, enjoy this long chapter!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 13: Revealed at Last

~Finals Fighter's Lounge, Main Arena, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island, Age 772~

"361 people entered today's tournament," the announcer… well announces, to the small crowd of fifteen finalists in the lounge. "You all however are the select few that successfully made it through the preliminary rounds to make it this far. That is an accomplishment in itself, so I would like to take this time to congratulate you fine martial artists.

"However, only one of you can claim the title of 'the strongest under the heavens.' We will decide who that is through this finals tournament. Each one of you will pick a number 1-16, and that will represent your position in this tournament. Now the rules are the same as in the preliminary tournament, only there will be no time limit for matches. Each match will go until one person is able to claim victory, no matter how long it takes."

As the announcer continues to explain how things will work for this portion of the Tenkaichi Budokai, Gohan looks around to get a good picture of who else made the finals.

Obviously both Videl and Seventeen made it. He is currently standing in a corner with both of them right next to him, talking to each other quietly. He also doesn't fail to notice that the majority of the Z-fighters that entered made it as well, with only Tien not here as he had to fight Vegeta in the Preliminaries. Speaking of Vegeta, he can see the saiyan prince standing against one of the walls on his own, arms crossed over his chest with his usual scowl on his face; he sees Krillin trying to keep another one of the finalists, a pretty boy with long blond hair, from hitting on his wife, Eighteen, who appears to be ignoring the situation completely.

He also notices something that makes him a bit angry. Piccolo appears to be in deep conversation with his father, Goku who is supposed to be dead but was miraculously able to come back to life somehow. He has a feeling that he is the topic of their conversation, unnerving the demi-saiyan a little and making him force his gaze somewhere else to see who else made the tournament.

He sees a buff-looking dark skinned man wearing camouflage like fighting attire. Gohan knows that he's no match for any of the Z-gang, but he wonders just how good the guy is compared to most humans as he looks to be a pretty decent martial artist.

Then there's his look-alike, the other Junjoubu who signed up before him. This guy must have really been obsessed with his super hero identity as he is dressed exactly the same as the demi-saiyan is dressed, with the white turban and sunglasses and all. He even has a bandana around his nose and mouth, although his is green while Gohan's is orange. He tries to get a good reading on the man's ki and senses that it is only that of a normal human that he doesn't recognize. He smirks at the sight. He never knew he was so popular as a super hero.

Then there are the other finalists.

Two of them are on their own standing in their own corner of the lounge. They appear to be humans that have taken a crazy amount of steroids, as their muscles look abnormally large on their bodies with their veins bulging out of their skin, appearing as though they may pop at any second. That's not even the strangest part though.

Gohan also notices that they don't give off a ki signature at all. It's as if their ki is blocked off magically, something that puts the demi-saiyan on edge. They both also have a strange tattoo of a cursive letter 'M' on their foreheads. He has a feeling that that is no coincidence. He definitely will be keeping a very close eye on these two.

Then there are the two others who are standing in the doorway.

Neither of them appears to be from this planet: one of them is really short, about Krillin's height, with purple skin and white hair in a Mohawk style. The other one is incredibly tall, about Piccolo's height, with red skin and long white hair that goes all the way down his back. While the short, purple one looks rather youthful, the taller one looks old and experienced, as if he is over a hundred years old. Both of them are garbed in a rather formal looking outfit: a blue kimono with an orange sash and long blue pants and baby blue earrings in their ears. It appears as if they are here for business rather than fighting.

Gohan tries his best to get a good read of their kis, but has a hard time. It's obvious that they are suppressing them, but he also has a very hard time even getting a hold of them, as if they aren't even fully alive. This confuses Gohan to no end, wondering just who exactly these two are. Again, two more people he needs to keep a close eye on.

He is brought out of his thoughts by the announcer calling his name to draw his number. Apparently he is the first to be called. He quickly makes his way up to the box with the numbers in it and draws a number. "I got number 8 sir," he announces to the announcer.

"And Kenshinbu is number 8, putting him in the fourth match!" the announcer repeats for everyone to hear. After that is taken care of, Gohan quickly makes his way back to Videl and Seventeen as the name 'Killa' is called.

"Guys, I actually think that the other person signing up as Junjoubu might have been a blessing in disguise," Gohan states after he gets back as the announcer declares that Killa drew a 15, putting him in the last match of the first round. "Piccolo knows I'm Junjoubu, so he probably suspects I'm at this tournament. However, I saw him earlier eying up the other guy since his name is Junjoubu. That's just great."

"You're right Gohan," Seventeen chimes in. "I definitely think that he believes you're at this tournament since I saw him eyeing up that other guy as well."

"Yeah, but Gohan, Piccolo's pretty observant," Videl adds, always thinking about everything. "He also knows that you're friends with me, so don't you think he'll figure it out if you keep hanging out with us while the other guy is all by himself?"

Gohan's eyes widen at that. She's right! Piccolo is the type of person that would put that together rather quickly. He looks over at his former sensei and notices that he's still in conversation with Goku, so he hasn't looked around yet thankfully, meaning that he still has time. "You're right Videl," Gohan replies, "I think I will just hang low by myself for a while to prevent suspicion."

Both Seventeen and Videl nod in understanding. "Good idea Gohan," Seventeen agrees with the demi-saiyan. "I guess we'll see you later. Good luck with your match, unless it's against me that is."

Gohan can't help but chuckle at Seventeen's sense of humor. He nods at the two as he leaves, telling them that he will be cheering for them when they go up. Since he will be on his own for a while, he decides that he might as well humor himself and talk to the other Junjoubu. Perhaps he'll even thank him for taking his name.

As Gohan walks over to 'Junjoubu,' Videl engages Seventeen in conversation again. "Look at those two together. Don't they look exactly alike?"

The bio-android studies both men thoroughly before turning his attention back to Videl. "They really do," he admits. "If it wasn't for the bandana on the face being a different color I would swear they were the same person."

"Exactly!" Videl answers animatedly. "I actually ran into the other guy before I met up with Gohan and I mistook him as Gohan. I even started talking to him as if he were Gohan. If the _real_ Gohan wouldn't have shown up at the time he did, I might have revealed something about him to a complete stranger!"

"So what do you think this means?" Seventeen asks, a bit suspicious of this 'imitation Junjoubu.' "There are already a bunch of suspicious people here," he continues, eying one of the extremely muscular men with the 'M' tattoo as he goes up to draw his number. "And now there's someone who looks exactly like Gohan as well?"

"I'm not sure, but I think something weird is going on here," she answers.

Seventeen looks again at Gohan and the other Junjoubu, seeing that they are engaged in a conversation. "I don't know Videl. I definitely agree that something weird is going on, but Gohan seems to be getting along with that guy pretty well."

At that, Videl directs her attention at the two. She sees the imitation Junjoubu actually laughing at something Gohan said. "You're right. If he was suspicious, then Gohan wouldn't be getting along with him so well." She narrows her eyes at the android after a moment of contemplation. "However, I still think something's wrong with the situation."

Videl honestly thinks it's just too weird that she mistook that other guy as Gohan before. She has been hanging out with the demi-saiyan for almost the past two years, and has even been crushing on him for the better part of three months! How could she mistake someone else as Gohan?

She has been debating this topic in her head ever since she encountered the doppelganger in the first place. It isn't just that he looks like Gohan, but he _acts _like him as well. As she observes her best friend from afar talking to the other guy, she can see just how much they seem to be alike, again puzzling her. They appear to be in a very friendly and animated conversation, yet they just met not even a few minutes ago!

The teen has a feeling that this is no coincidence. Something is up with the other Junjoubu and she wants to know what it is! He doesn't appear to be an enemy. After all, if he was, there's no way Gohan would be getting along with him so well right now. However, he seems just too much like her best friend to be a simple doppelganger.

Something is going on. She just doesn't know what as of yet.

She is startled out of her thoughts by Seventeen. "So, you don't think it's just a coincidence then?" he asks, causing Videl to look at him again. She quickly puts on a serious expression.

"Nope," she answers, dead serious. "I have no clue what is going on with him, but I will find out. I will definitely keep a close eye on him."

Seventeen sends Videl a playful smirk. "That's two people you will be keeping a close eye on then."

Videl looks at the bio-android confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

His smirk widens. "Oh, I'm just saying that I've noticed that you've been keeping quite a close eye on Gohan as well." At seeing that the girl is still confused as ever, he elaborates some more, this time his tone is teasing. "I just notice that you tend to stare at him like some kind of dog in heat from a distance a lot of times when you don't think he's looking." He starts to chuckle when he sees Videl stiffen and then blush furiously.

"I thought I was being subtle," she defends, now incredibly embarrassed. She then sighs as she turns her gaze to the ground, looking defeated. "Is it really that obvious that I like him?" she asks weakly.

"To me, yes," the android answers, much to Videl's horror. "To Gohan, no. He doesn't suspect a thing."

This makes Videl sigh in relief. "Well at least he doesn't think I'm a creeper," she jokes, before turning serious. "But Seventeen, I can't help it! He's too damn hot!"

"So, why don't you make a move," the dark haired android suggests. "I mean if you really like him that much, tell him."

She has asked herself the same question for the past three months and she always comes up with the same road block. "But what if he doesn't like me back?" she asks, sighing in disappointment just thinking about it. "It could ruin our friendship."

"Well you just have to decide if it's worth the risk then," Seventeen answers wisely. "Remember, with great risk, comes great reward. You will have to decide if being with him in a relationship is worth risking your friendship by telling him how you feel." With that Seventeen goes up to the box with the numbers in it to draw his number as his name was just called.

Videl thinks about Seventeen's words carefully. _Is it really worth the risk?_ She internally debates. _I mean our friendship is great. He trusts me enough to tell me his entire life story._ She looks over at Gohan as he is now laughing at something his doppelganger said. She finds herself mesmerized by the sight, even though he's disguised as his super hero identity. She's always found that he looks even more attractive when he's laughing.

She smiles.

As Videl decides whether or not to make a move on Gohan, two others are in an intense discussion of incredible importance.

"It appears you were right master," Kibito declares in a hushed tone to his companion right next to him, looking at the two overly muscular men with the strange tattoos. "It seems that Babidi has sent his minions to collect ki."

"Indeed Kibito," Supreme Kai confirms. "There is no doubt that those two are Babidi's henchmen. Now we just have to wait for them to make their move and then follow them."

Kibito nods at the purple skinned kai. "Yes master. The boy from five years ago is here correct?"

"That is right," he answers. "He is the one called 'Kenshinbu.' He appears to be hiding his ki signature, but I can definitely tell it's him. He is the one they are after."

"Master, how do you plan to let the Majin gather the ki?" he asks, casting a glance to the area where the Z-warriors are gathered. "I know you plan to paralyze the boy, but all of his friends are here as well. How do you plan on stopping them from interfering?"

Supreme Kai casts a glance over at the group himself. "I agree it will be difficult," he admits. "However, the two that would react the strongest to the boy getting attacked would also be the two easiest to convince. The boy's sensei, the Namekian named 'Majunior,' used to be this planet's Guardian, and the boy's father, the dead saiyan Goku, is on his 24 hours in the living realm, meaning that they both have great knowledge of the kais. Once I reveal my identity to them, they will understand that I wouldn't let the boy be harmed. They will realize that it is important, and the others will follow their example."

The red skinned deity nods in understanding. "That makes sense master," he respectfully replies.

"Alright Kibito, you will be up to draw right after Majunior. I plan on putting you out there with the boy." He looks his assistant straight in the eye, a serious gleam taking over his gaze telling Kibito that what is going to be said next is incredibly important. "You must convince him to transform into an ascended super saiyan. The first form will not be enough. With that ki blocking wristband on, it will be impossible to detect his ki unless it is overloaded, which the first form won't do but the second form will. It is essential that his ki is revealed to the Majin so they know to attack him.

"Meanwhile, I will put myself with the former Guardian of the Earth to try and reveal my plan to him. He is the most sensible of the group, so it will be best if he is the one to find out first. Once that is taken care of, he can reveal the plan to everyone else and convince them that I know what I'm doing, despite how crazy it might sound to them. We need them all on board for this plan to succeed. Do you understand Kibito?"

The assistant to the Supreme Kai nods seriously at his master. "I understand my duties sir. I must make Gohan ascend to the second level of super saiyan and then heal him once the Majin leave."

The Supreme Kai smiles at Kibito. "Very good my friend. I will take off after them as soon as they leave. I will also try and convince the other warriors to come with me. Once you finish healing Gohan, convince him to help us as well before you take off after me. We would definitely need his help if it comes to a sticky situation with Babidi's minions, mainly the two demons he has under his control. He is the only one strong enough to take out either one of them, so his presence is crucial."

"I understand master," the red-skinned man repeats. "Do not worry, Gohan will come with us."

"Shin!" the announcer shouts through the room. "Will Shin please come and draw his number at this time!"

"It's time I initiate our plan my friend," Supreme Kai announces as he walks over to the box with the lots for the matches. He gets to the lot box and confirms to the announcer that he is indeed Shin before reaching his hand into the box. He quickly looks at the bracket board for an open bracket and finds that the second match is still blank. Very subtlely, he casts an enchantment on the ball that he just drew to make sure he gets one of the two numbers in that bracket. He smiles as he pulls his number out of the box. "I got the number 3 sir," he politely informs the announcer.

"Shin draws the number 3, placing him in match two!" he repeats for everyone else. "Next up to draw is Majunior!"

Supreme Kai looks in the direction of where Gohan was before, trying to give the boy a passing glance when he realizes that he moved away from the other two that he was with. He looks around to see that he is now talking to someone who is dressed exactly alike him…

And looks exactly alike him…

And feels exactly alike him…

This development puzzles the deity. He tries to get a read on the mysterious man's ki and finds that it is blocked, just like Gohan's is. Of course the Supreme Kai can get around that obstacle and once he does, what he discovers causes him to stumble in shock.

He has no clue who that ki is!

He finds himself incredibly confused. It's impossible that he doesn't know who the ki belongs to. He's the Supreme Kai! He has knowledge of all of the kis in the universe! He should be able to identify every single living creature there is, yet somehow this particular ki is one he has never felt before.

This is something that has never happened before. He has no clue what this means, but whatever it is, it can't be good. He suddenly finds himself much more suspicious of the man that took Gohan's original super hero name. Before he enchants Piccolo's lot to match up against his, he has one fleeting thought.

_What is going on here?_

* * *

~Competitor's Daycare, Main Arena Grandstands~

Three hours!

It's been three hours since his daddy left him here in this stupid daycare! Goten finds himself incredibly bored, just waiting around for the tournament to start so he can see his daddy again, even if it is from a distance. Of course his teacher has been playing with him, and the other kids have been playing a bunch of games, but eventually the other kids were picked up by their parents since they didn't make it through the prelims. Now Goten is the only chibi in the daycare and thus quickly got bored and decided to just wait by the window that shows the big arena where the finals take place despite Mr. Hitsuijikai's offers to play with the chibi.

He misses his daddy! Sure, during school he's been away from him for longer than this, but he always knew exactly where he was. Of course the chibi demi-saiyan can still feel Gohan's ki through their bond, so he knows which direction he's in, but he doesn't know exactly where that is. The school is familiar to him, but this place is so huge and filled with so many people that it is scary, not to mention it's completely unfamiliar to him.

However, Goten remains calm. He remembers that his daddy told him to be brave while he's away, encouraging him by telling him that he will try and be brave for him as well. The chibi relishes opportunities to make his daddy proud of him, so if he has to deal with being in a daycare with his Kindergarten teacher for a few hours than he will try his best. After all, his daddy said that he would come get him in no time, and he trusts his daddy completely.

Still, it doesn't make it any easier. He finds himself feeling out for his daddy's ki and is comforted by the incredibly warm feeling that is radiating off of it, taking in the nice, cozy sensation it gives him. His daddy seems really happy at the moment, and that makes Goten happy. He continues to look out the window, sighing in contentment as he feeds off of Gohan's comforting ki.

"Hi!"

Goten is startled out of his trance by a high pitched soprano voice. He turns around to meet the gaze of a little girl that he's never seen before. She looks to be even younger than he is, wearing a small, sky blue beach dress and flip-flop sandals on her feet. She has bright yellow hair that is tied in short pigtails that don't even fall to her ears. Her eyes are a deep chocolate brown, sparkling with amusement as she grins at the boy she just startled, now giggling. "I like your costume!" she states.

Goten regains his previous composure before grinning at the little girl. "Thanks!" he excitedly chirps, now showing off his uniform with great pride. "I'm Junjoubu! The greatest superhero ever in the entire world!"

The girl giggles at Goten once more. "You're funny! My name's Marron Chestnut! What's yours?"

Goten smiles at the girl, finding that he likes her. "My name's Goten Son! Nice to meet you Marron!"

"So Goten, how old are you?" she asks.

The demi-saiyan holds up four fingers on his right hand proudly. "I'm four and three-quarters! How about you?"

Marron pouts. "I'm only three and a half…" she answers dejectedly, not happy that she's a whole year younger than the other boy. Great. Now he probably thinks that she's too little to be friends with him.

Goten, seeing his new friend upset, can't stand it. Remembering how his daddy always cheers him up when he's sad, he walks over to the little girl and gives her a hug. "What's wrong Marron?" he asks, concerned for the little girl.

Marron looks up at Goten, who still has his arms around her, with a frown. "You think that I'm too little to play with don't you…"

Goten just looks at her incredulously. "N-no!" he immediately denies, causing the little blond girl's eyes to widen in surprise. "I don't care that you're only three and a half! You seem super nice! I would love to play with you!"

At this, Marron looks up again, astonished. "You really mean that?" she asks, her tone hopeful.

Goten gives her the classic Son grin. "Absolutely positively!" he exclaims excitedly.

At those words, Marron grins a thousand watt smile and returns Goten's embrace enthusiastically. "Thanks Goten!" she chirps happily, truly glad that he's so accepting of her. "You're really nice!" she states as she pulls out of the hug that Goten originally gave her.

The demi-saiyan scratches the back of his head in the classic Son style. "Thanks Marron! So what do you wanna play?"

The girl shrugs. "I don't know…" she trails off as people in the stands start cheering madly. This startles both chibis as they turn their attention to the arena outside the window and notice that there's someone making their way to the middle of the ring with a microphone, addressing the people in the stands.

"What's going on Goten?" Marron asks her newest friend. She doesn't understand why everyone is cheering. There's only a guy in a suit walking to the middle of the arena.

Goten looks at the little girl with excitement shining in his onyx orbs. "I think the tournament is starting!"

The blond girl's eyes widen at that. "Really?"

The demi-saiyan keeps his eyes on the ring, nodding absentmindedly in response to the girl's question. Marron turns her attention back to the ring as well and soon, the chibis see another pair of people start walking out to the ring as well. At the pair, Marron grins broadly and becomes extremely excited.

"Hey, that's daddy!" she announces eagerly, now hopping up and down in excitement.

"Which one is he?" Goten asks, curious as to who his newest friend's dad is.

"The littler one with black hair!" she answers, now eying her father. "His name's Krillin and Grandpa Roshi says that he's the strongest human alive!" she adds, obviously proud of her father.

Goten looks at the girl with a disbelieving look. "Really?" he asks, obviously surprised. He tries to measure the man's ki to see if it is as strong as his daddy's, but huffs in frustration as he realizes that his ki sensing skill is still not too adept as of yet. Right now, the only kis he can feel are his daddy's and Ane Videl's. His daddy had told him that once he gets better at the skill that he will be able to pick up any ki in the world, but he's not at that point as of yet. But even though he disagrees with the girl and thinks his daddy is the strongest, he doesn't want to risk his new friendship with this girl and decides to agree with her, unlike most kids his age who would probably argue pointlessly.

He really is mature above his years.

"That's cool Marron!" Goten exclaims, causing the girl to smile proudly at the demi-saiyan. "My daddy's really strong too! I hope I get to see them fight each other, it would be a great match."

"Who's your daddy Goten?" she curiously asks.

"Well daddy was going to sign up as Junjoubu but he told me that someone else already took his name so he made up a new name, which is Kenshinbu I think," the young demi-saiyan replies.

Marron's eyes widen upon hearing that. "Is your daddy the superhero Junjoubu?" she asks animatedly, wondering if it's the same guy that she saw on the TV sometimes when her daddy watched the news.

Now it's Goten's turn to smile proudly. While his daddy told him to not tell anyone that he was Junjoubu, he also told him never to lie. He figures that since Marron asked the question that he should answer her truthfully, knowing that his daddy always told him to tell the truth no matter what. "Yep!" the raven haired chibi answers. "My daddy's a superhero!"

Marron squeals in excitement. "Wow! That's awesome! I really hope that our daddies fight each other now too!"

"Yeah!" Goten agrees, now noticing that the announcer has walked off of the ring and the only two left are the two fighters, the short one with black hair that Marron had said was her daddy and a taller guy with long blond hair and emerald green eyes. Krillin appears to take a fighting stance while the other man seems to just stand there with his arms crossed across his chest in an arrogant fashion.

Eyes widening in realization, Goten quickly turns back to his new friend. "I think that they are about to start Marron!"

The girl yelps in surprise before paying attention the ring again, Goten following her gaze. He is really eager to see Marron's daddy in action now!

* * *

~Finals Ring, Main Arena~

_Who the hell is this guy!?_

This seems to be the only thing ringing through Piccolo's thoughts as he scrutinizes his opponent from across the ring. He has tried sensing his ki, but can't seem to feel anything solid to sense, as if a part of him isn't here. This has been throwing the Namekian off ever since he saw him from across the fighter's lounge.

He had been too busy giving Goku some advice on how to approach Gohan to notice the abnormality before, but as he was curious to who he would fight in the first round, he looked at the board as soon as he drew his number, finding that he was matched up against a guy named Shin. He had scanned the room for his opponent, and paused when he met the gaze of the purple skinned man.

The Namekian froze on the spot.

He had never seen eyes so dark before, not even Gohan's. But that's not what shook him up. No, it was what he saw reflected in those eyes that completely stunned him. He could see that despite his young appearance, this man held a deep wisdom as well as a vast knowledge of the universe. It was as if this man knew much more than even _he _knew, even with the combined knowledge that he had gotten from Kami and Nail; as if he held secrets that he couldn't even begin to imagine.

Immediately he knew that this man was no ordinary being. Not only did he possess a superior knowledge, but he obviously was an alien as well. His initial thoughts were that he was the Grand Kai; it would only make sense with the amount of wisdom he had seem reflected in his eyes, but after a moment of further thought, he dismissed that idea since he also realized that Goku is training under the Grand Kai and would have noticed right away if it was him or not.

So Piccolo had spent the remainder of his time trying to figure out who Shin was. Here he is now, about to fight him and he still has no clue who the guy actually is. He can tell that he isn't an enemy as he doesn't have a hint of evil in his ki, but then again, he can't really feel his ki to begin with anyways. He sighs in frustration, now completely unnerved, something that usually never happens.

Shin appears to grin at Piccolo at that moment, as if knowing what is going through the Namekian's head. He chuckles before speaking. "Don't worry Piccolo, you will find out who I am soon enough," he announces while the announcer is still telling the crowd about the fight that is about to take place.

Piccolo's eyes seem to bulge out of his sockets at that statement. How the hell did he know his real name and how in the blazes did he know what he was thinking?! He is now reeling at the purple fighter, realizing that he can read minds somehow, and with Kami's knowledge, he knows that no one but a kai can read someone's mind. Just as he suspected earlier, this man is a kai, but one that he has absolutely no knowledge of.

He searches his mind for information, any information at all on this kai. He recalls the whole hierarchy, knowing that there are four lower kais that each watch over a certain quadrant of the universe; he also knows that there's a Grand Kai that oversees all of them, the same one that Goku is currently training under. Piccolo knows that this isn't Grand Kai, and knows that it isn't this quadrant's kai either since he met that one himself when he died during the saiyan invasion. He then recalls a rumor that Kami had heard a long time ago. According to this rumor, there is another kai that is even above the Grand Kai, a Supreme Kai.

Is it possible that this guy is the Supreme Kai?

"Wow, I'm impressed!"

Piccolo immediately is startled out of his intense thoughts by the voice of his opponent, who is smiling widely at him now. "I am surprised that you figured it out so quickly." he continues, sending Piccolo reeling once again. "But then again, you are this planet's former Guardian. I am he, but let's save the discussion for after our fight shall we?"

Piccolo honestly has never been so surprised in his entire life. He is fighting the _Supreme Kai_ in the Tenkaichi Budokai? What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be overseeing the entire universe? What is it that brought him to Earth? Suddenly his worries about Gohan reconciling with his dad seem to be far from his mind as he realizes that if the Supreme Kai is here on Earth, something must be drastically wrong. This is simply too much information to take in and he finds himself so thrown off that he can't even focus.

"I forfeit the match," Piccolo states as the announcer turns to him in shock, not expecting the former runner up to give up before the match even started. He looks as if he is about to ask why he's forfeiting, but before he even gets the chance, Piccolo has already turned heel and walked back towards the fighter's lounge, ignoring the boos and incredulous jeers that he is getting thrown at him by the crowd of millions of fans.

"…I guess Majunior forfeits the match!" the announcer states to the irate crowd, extremely confused himself. "The winner by default is Shin!"

Supreme Kai is smirking at Piccolo's retreating form. It's not surprising to him that the Namekian didn't want to fight him, knowing who he is. He figures that he will get interrogated by him the moment he gets back to the fighter's lounge, but that's what he wanted in the first place. He will tell him everything that he needs to know, and then leave it to him to tell everyone else.

Shin politely bows to the audience, also ignoring the angry insults and petty jeers being thrown at him for only advancing by default. He then makes his way off of the ring as the announcer announces the next match to the rest of the viewers.

"Alright folks, our third match will consist of Spopovich against the one and only Videl Satan!"

The crowd quiets down, realizing that the champ's daughter is fighting next, and then quickly breaks out into cheers of 'Videl.' Obviously she is very popular among the masses since she is not only Hercule's daughter, but also the town hero of Satan City.

As Spopovich and Videl make their way out to the ring to match up against each other, Shin stops his pursuit and glares daggers at Spopovich, or rather the 'M' tattoo that he has on his forehead. He knows that this man is one of the Majin, so he knows that he is much stronger than he appears. However, he also knows from sensing her ki that Videl is much stronger than she appears as well. He will keep an eye on this match to make sure that she doesn't receive any unnecessary harm, but isn't as worried as he might have been if it were a normal human going up there to fight him, such as her father.

While Supreme Kai continues to glare daggers at the form of Spopovich all the way until he progresses to the ring, Videl finds herself staring suspiciously at the purple skinned man. She knows for sure that something is going on now. First, Seventeen and Gohan both tell her to be careful against her next opponent and not to hesitate to use her ki, even though he only appears to be some steroid junkie to her. Then some purple skinned man that looks like an alien, but doesn't look all that strong, forces her best friend's sensei to forfeit a match before it even starts. And now, that same guy is glaring at her opponent as if he wants to kill him himself.

Finally, Shin makes his way back to the fighter's lounge and Videl turns her attention back to her opponent, and his expression unnerves her even more. He is grinning a crazy grin, and the gleam in his eyes tells her that he is looking to make this more than just a tournament fight. The look in his eyes is the same look a tiger has before hunting down its prey, and that really creeps Videl out.

She tries to sense the guy's ki, but runs into the same problem Goten has. She can only feel certain kis that she is very familiar with since she is still learning the skill, so the only one she can sense is her father. She can't sense Gohan, Goten, or Seventeen since both Gohan and Goten's kis are blocked with the wristbands, and Seventeen doesn't give off a ki signature due to the fact that he is an android, leaving the young Satan in the dark.

She really doesn't want to have to use her ki if she's not fighting Seventeen, Gohan, or any of the other Z-fighters since she doesn't want to accidentally hurt someone by using too much ki, but she trusts Gohan with her life and respects Seventeen's opinion a lot more since she and Gohan became friends with him, so she decides to take their advice and not hold back against Spopovich.

She will use her ki.

* * *

~Finals Fighting Lounge~

He can't believe his luck!

He's fighting him in the first round!

Goku looks away from Krillin's match in the direction of his opponent. Goku was so ecstatic when he found out that after Kenshinbu and Kibito fight, that he will be matched up against Junjoubu, or as he knows now, Gohan, his eldest son. He knew that he would fight him today–after all, Grand Kai specifically sent him here to do just that–but he didn't expect it to be in the first match!

However, Goku is psyched that he will get to fight him right away! Gohan is by far the strongest warrior he's ever faced, even with all of his training in Other World. Not even Pikkon compares to Gohan when it comes to pure ki energy and strength. He also still hasn't found a single warrior that is as talented at manipulating his ki like his son is, and that is truly saying something. It will definitely be a fun match, and a match where he will have to give it everything he's got. That is why the Grand Kai wants him to fight him in the first place.

However, that's not what excites him the most.

He can't wait to get out there to fight his son, but this also means that he will have to talk to him beforehand. He really wants to be able to focus on the match completely, and he won't be able to do that knowing his son is angry with him. While he is disappointed in himself since he has to apologize for a mistake he made five years ago, he is absolutely thrilled to finally talk to his son again, even if it is to apologize. After craving his son's mere presence for the past five years, he really wants to be able to see him again up close and personal.

He looks around the fighter's lounge. Everyone seems to be rather entertained by Krillin's antics in the ring. The now black haired monk is toying with his opponent, a pretty boy named Jewel, mainly because the man was hitting on his wife earlier on. He is surprised to see that Vegeta even has a smirk on his face, probably enjoying the fact that he is making that other pathetic human look like a complete fool. The only ones who aren't really paying attention to the fight are the two buff dudes that appear to be on steroids, who are just sulking together in the opposite corner, far away from Goku.

Now is the perfect time.

The dead saiyan makes his way over to the duo of Junjoubu and Kenshinbu, both who appear to be highly amused by the match. Goku taps Junjoubu on the shoulder, forcing him to turn around, and as soon as he does, he stiffens significantly, eyes wide with shock behind the sunglasses he's wearing, before quickly regaining his composure.

"Hey, you're the guy I'm matched up against in the first round, Goku right?" he asks.

Goku nods, showing a completely serious expression that he rarely uses. "Yes, do you think he could talk alone for a few minutes away from everyone else?" he responds. His tone is polite and friendly, but his gaze gives away that this is really not up for debate.

It seems as if Junjoubu is debating it within his head for a minute before curtly nodding with a small smile. "Sure, I'll talk to you," he answers, and Goku can't help but grin back at the man before quickly dragging him over to another, more private part of the Fighter's Lounge.

As soon as the two are gone, Gohan lets out a breath of pure relief. Thatwas _way_ too close for comfort. He had felt his father's ki approaching him and was pleading to Dende to not let him recognize him. When he had heard him talking to his doppelganger, his blood went cold in anxiety, and he focused his attention on making sure that he was looking as nonchalant as possible, just continuing to watch Krillin play around with his opponent. However, when his father left with the other Junjoubu, he was able to relax.

For now…

He knows that he will eventually have to confront his father at some point today. He's just so afraid to approach the man and show him his guilt. He has been so sure that he hates his father that he doesn't want to face him and show him that hate. After all, despite his lingering animosity towards the man, he still is his father, and despite all of this, he still seeks out the man's approval.

What would he think of him if he saw him now?

As he watches Krillin finally throw his opponent out of the ring, he becomes more nervous of his eventual confrontation with his father. Deep down, Gohan is terrified of what his father will think of him once he finds out that he ran away from the others. Will he be disappointed in him? What will he say about it? Would he tell him that he expected better from his mature son? That he expected better judgment for someone who he thought was capable enough to raise his brother as his own son? That he might have been wrong to think that he could raise the chibi?

Gohan's eyes narrow at that thought. Screw Goku! He is the one who abandoned his family by staying dead after the Intergalactic Tournament. He has no right to say anything about him not being a capable dad for Goten. He needed to be a dad himself before he gained that right!

The demi-saiyan is brought out of his angering thoughts by Piccolo forfeiting his match. Gohan now looks on wide-eyed, completely stunned that his sensei, one of the strongest people in the universe, surrendered to the short purple guy without even fighting him in the first place. He watches as Piccolo breezes past him without a passing glance as he exits the arena. Not too much later, Shin enters the lounge and walks off after the Namekian.

But not without looking straight at him for a split second.

Gohan finds himself unnerved by that guy's stare. It was as if he knew everything about him even though he's never met him before. He finds himself split on what to do. On one hand he wants to go after him and demand him who he is, and also find out why Piccolo had forfeited the match. That guy is too strange for his liking, and right now he wants to find out what is going on with him.

But on the other hand, Videl is fighting that equally suspicious giant brute of a man in her match. He is throwing the demi-saiyan off as well, and his aura is extremely peculiar. He can't feel a ki from the man at all, but sensing out the man with his ki senses does give him insight that it is being blocked by some sort of magical spell. Gohan doesn't know what is causing this, but he knows that that can't be good.

So Gohan decides to stay put and make sure his best friend is alright. He has no clue how strong this man is if he can magically shield his ki, so he encouraged Videl earlier to lift her restraints that they discussed earlier and use her ki freely, but if something horrible happens, he will be ready to defend his best friend, no problem.

"Hey, you!" a voice shouts at Gohan.

Knowing exactly who that is, Gohan prepares to face him. He quickly turns around and is greeted by the sight of a large, muscular man with a black afro hairstyle and piercing violet eyes. Gohan smiles at the man, remembering what Videl had told him earlier about how her father treated her before she met up with him. "Hello Mr. Satan," the demi-saiyan answers politely, holding his hand out for a shake.

Hercule seems surprised by the polite gesture, due to the fact that one, he had basically yelled at the man, and two, because well… he's Hercule Satan! Everybody seems to worship the ground that he walks on, much to his annoyance sometimes, and this guy is acting completely calm and at ease in his presence. He actually finds the change quite refreshing. Hercule quickly regains his composure though and takes his hand with a slight smile of his own. He then recognizes Gohan's uniform and can't help but ask, "Hey aren't you that Junjoubu guy that was helping the police with my daughter for a while?"

Gohan looks around the room to see if anyone would overhear what he's saying, and when he sees the coast is clear, he answers the man truthfully. "Yes that is me, but someone else dressed up as me and took my name, so here I'm Kenshinbu."

"Oh wow!" Hercule replies, glad he's found the right guy. "Well first I would like to thank you for keeping an eye on my daughter. Even though she's one of the strongest people in the world I still worry about her safety whenever she fights crime, and it's good to know that someone else is looking out for her too."

"It's no problem sir," Gohan answers, now grinning so wide that it can almost be seen outside his bandana. "I take great pride in helping keep the streets of Satan City safe, as well as its protectors."

"That's good to know, son," Mr. Satan answers sincerely. "My daughter truly means everything to me, which leads me to my second question…" the champ seems to become extremely nervous and gulps before he finally asks what he wants. "…are you one if those mystery fighters from the Cell Games?"

Gohan stumbles a bit in shock. He was not expecting that question, but realizes that he should have been. He should have known that Hercule would suspect that with everything Junjoubu did in the city, even if he managed to make it look as normal as possible. Gohan suddenly realizes where Videl gets her observation skills from.

Once again, Gohan looks around to see if anyone is eavesdropping before answering. "Yes, I am…" he answers after a minute of debate. He knows he's never been good at lying; in fact, he's probably so bad at it that not even his sunglasses and bandana would be able to hide the lie, so he votes to tell him the truth. "I was the boy who defeated Cell once and for all."

Hercule's faces drains of all of its color at the revelation. The man who he is currently talking to and the same man that has been looking out for his precious Videl for the last few years is the same little boy who had the power and courage to finally kill the most evil, menacing creature the Earth has ever seen.

And also the same boy he took the credit from.

Hercule is now incredibly nervous. What's he going to do now? Is he going to reveal the secret to everyone here that he actually didn't defeat Cell? Is he going to take his revenge on him and hurt him?

Gohan notices the change in expression on Mr. Satan face and can't help but chuckle at the man's expense. "Don't worry Mr. Satan, I'm not mad about you taking my credit," he announces lowly, his tone light. "In fact, I'm actually grateful."

Hercule looks at Gohan incredulously, as if wondering if he just misheard what the demi-saiyan had said. Did he actually say that he was grateful that he took his credit? "A-are you serious?" he asks, his voice giving away just how shocked he is at that tidbit of information.

Gohan just smiles at the nervous man, although it's lost behind the bandana. "Yes, I'm serious Hercule. If you hadn't taken the credit, I would have been the center of attention for the whole world, and I would have hated all of that. Because you did what you did, I have been able to live a very peaceful life out of the media, which I am really thankful for."

After that statement though, Gohan's eyes narrow in seriousness, causing Hercule to gulp, knowing that he isn't out of the woods on this yet. "However, I do not appreciate all of the insults that you have been spewing about how ki manipulation is just a 'cheap trick,' and how all of us were mere frauds." He pauses for a minute to see that Hercule looks incredibly fearful. He sighs before he continues what he was going to say. "However, I am willing to forgive you for that as long as you admit that what we do is real and that we actually helped a great deal in your 'defeat' of Cell."

Hercule looks as if he doesn't know what to say. For a good five years he has been boasting the defeat of Cell, taking the credit of the boy who actually defeated him. Now that same boy is standing in front of him five years later and he is telling him that he is willing to forgive him for not only taking his credit, but insulting him and all of his friends, calling them frauds for what they do.

This guy truly is a saint.

At that, Hercule, nods vigorously, grinning ear to ear. "Y-yes sir, Mr. Junjoubu sir," he eagerly answers. "I will do that as soon as the tournament is over! Don't even worry about it!"

Gohan smiles genuinely. He's finally done it. He has redeemed his friends and family… well almost. "One more thing Champ.'"

"Anything my man, anything"

"I would also like you to take back everything you said about Goku Son being a cheater in the 23rd Budokai. He won that tournament using the same techniques that you just admitted are real, so he won that off of pure skill, not 'cheap tricks' like you said."

"Of course I will," Hercule reassures the demi-saiyan. "I will do that along with everything else you said… so are we alright?" he asks his eyes reflecting hope that he's forgiven.

"Yes Hercule, we are," Gohan answers, honestly at peace with the man that he had lost respect for over the years. Now he is on his way of earning that respect back.

"Great! Thank you so much!" Hercule replies, genuinely thankful for the forgiveness that he got from the demi-saiyan. Now that he is all square with the real world savior, his attention turns back to the ring, where his daughter is kicking her opponent's butt. "Wow, she's really incredible," he comments offhandedly. "I knew she was strong, but she really is lighting that guy up!"

Gohan looks on with a proud smile. "Yeah, she really is something special…" he states, getting lost watching her. He really is impressed with her performance. He is studying Spopovich intently, and can tell that all of his combos have a ton of power behind them. In fact, if he were to estimate how strong he is by just watching this fight, he would swear that he is using more power than Raditz had when he first came to Earth! However, she appears to have taken his advice and is using her full power on the man, and she has dominated so far.

"Are you the one who taught her those moves?" Hercule asks Gohan, curious as to where his daughter had learned to fight like those mystery fighters.

"Yep," he answers, still not taking his eyes off of the fight. He seems to be in a trance as he watches her use another devastating combo on her opponent. He just can't seem to take his eyes away from the girl. The way she moves across the ring with so much grace in her steps; the way her body bends so flexibly, yet fluidly as she dodges some of her opponent's punches and kicks; how the sweat seems to drip down her slightly flushed cheeks as she punches him to the ground once more.

_Is it getting hotter in here?_

Gohan feels his heartbeat start to race as he continues to watch his best friend beat the crap out of her opponent, using the training that he gave her. He gulps as she delivers a perfect kick to her opponent, blowing him backwards through the air and soaring to the ground, his body making a big thud as it hits the tile. He starts to sweat as he continues to watch her dominate her opponent in every fashion possible, noticing for the first time the way her chest expands every time she takes a deep breath, making her breasts bounce ever so slightly.

_Dende she looks so… hot._

That last thought seems to startle him back into reality, making him blush furiously underneath his bandana. Was he just checking out his best friend? His _female_ best friend? Was he actually getting turned on by Videl?

Gohan quickly looks away and shakes his head to rid himself of these confusing thoughts. He's not starting to like Videl as more than a friend is he? That idea just seems preposterous. After all, she is his best friend!

But as he thinks about it further, it suddenly doesn't seem as preposterous. She is so nice to him, she loves to help the innocent and take out the criminals, and she absolutely adores martial arts, all things they both have in common. Not only that, but he's finding that he trusts her more than anyone else on the planet, and to top it all off, she absolutely adores Goten, who in turn loves her back.

He smiles at the thought. Perhaps he does like her on a deeper level than as a best friend. Maybe he has all along and he hasn't realized it. After all, Videl is the first girl his age that he has had extended contact with. Maybe he was just oblivious to his thoughts because he didn't know that they were even there.

As he finally turns his attention back to Videl's match, he sees the girl in a new light. As he looks at her, there's now not a doubt in his mind that he has feelings for her. He can tell that she's incredibly attractive, something that he has been able to somehow overlook for the past year and a half, but now he has no clue how he did. Once again, he finds himself mesmerized by her beauty as she continues to knock Spopovoch to the ground.

And as he continues to get up…

Something isn't right here. Videl has dealt an incredible amount of damage to Spopovich during this match, yet he seems to not be phased by the damage at all! It's as if he is a tank, incredibly durable, but this guy is even more durable than a tank. After everything Videl has done to him, he should be at least a little damaged, but he just continues to take hit after hit, and Videl has been fighting at full power for a good 20 minutes now…

She better finish this before she runs out of stamina!

Only now does Gohan realize how tired his best friend looks: she is huffing and puffing, resting her hands on her knees every chance she gets. She has been fighting stupendously, but it is taking its toll. Her opponent is slowly wearing her down until she just won't have any more energy to go on.

Finally realizing Spopovich's strategy, Gohan urges Videl to finish the fight. "Videl!" he yells out to the ring. "He's trying to wear you out! Finish him off with your secret weapon! I have a really bad feeling about this guy!"

Videl lazily glares at Gohan. How dare he think that she can't win this fight on her own! She doesn't need him to shout advice to her from the sidelines! However, she realizes that this is _Gohan_ saying this, the same boy who knows this already. If it were anyone else, she would think of it as an insult to her pride, but coming from Gohan, she knows that he is genuinely concerned for her safety. She already has been suspicious of this guy, and he has taken everything that she has dealt him like a champ, so she figures that her friend is right.

It's time to unleash her secret weapon.

Videl quickly nods to Gohan before narrowing her eyes in determination. She only mastered this technique yesterday so she needs her full concentration in order to make it work. She starts raising her ki to her absolute max, bringing out a white, flaming aura around her. As soon as Spopovich gets up from her latest assault, she immediately charges him with everything she has, aura still warping around her. Just before she jumps into the air to unleash her final assault, she uses her most powerful technique.

"Kaioken!" she yells, fierce determination in her voice.

Suddenly, her speed and strength skyrocket as her aura changes to a blazing crimson, now burning furiously around her as if she were on fire. At a speed that only the Z-fighters can follow, she gives her opponent four quick jabs to the stomach, three kicks to his right side, and one strong punch to his jaw, sending him flying backwards at such a velocity that he flies out of the ring and into the wall around the stadium, where he crumples into a giant heap.

"And Videl wins by ring out!" the announcer cries into the microphone as the crowd roars in approval. They start chants of Videl's name and soon, the whole stadium rings with the sound of her name. Gohan gives her a grin and a thumbs up from the side of the ring, clearly proud of his student and best friend. He is so glad that she was able to use the Kaioken to perfection.

Videl winces in pain as she raises her arm to return Gohan's thumbs up. That match was exhausting! She's never had to expend that much energy before not to mention that using the Kaioken technique properly for only a moment is straining on the muscles for someone who has just picked up on the art. She finds herself struggling to walk as she makes her way back to the fighter's lounge. Thankfully Seventeen runs out to give her some much needed support to walk back.

Hercule meanwhile has his jaw dropped to the floor. He had no clue his little sweet pea could do something like that! It was absolutely incredible! "Y-y-you taught her how to do t-t-hat!?" he stutters, still reeling from the impressive performance Videl had.

Gohan turns his attention to Hercule at that statement, smiling an incredibly proud smile that is clear as day despite his disguise. "Yes," he answers. "The technique you just witnessed is called the Kaioken technique. It's a ki manipulation technique that is able to flood your muscles with an increased amount of ki for an instant, multiplying your speed and power. Makes sense since the technique name literally means 'fist of the World King.'"

Hercule seems to do his best fish impression at Gohan, much to the demi-saiyan's amusement. Obviously he is still trying to take in the fact that not only are these techniques completely real, but that his own daughter is learning all of them.

Eventually Videl makes her way back to the fighter's lounge. As she crosses the threshold of the lounge, Hercule snaps out of his stupor and runs over to his daughter, enveloping her in a bone crushing hug. Seventeen quickly moves out of the way, and Videl winces a little from her father's strength, but returns the hug nonetheless, withstanding the sheer pain that comes with the action.

Hercule reluctantly lets go after seeing his daughter start to turn blue from the lack of oxygen, much to Gohan's amusement. He looks on from a distance, waiting his turn to congratulate the girl, but can't help but smile at the scene of both of them. Hercule clearly is proud of what his daughter is capable of, and it's only now that he understands how much her father truly adores her. Sure, Hercule always is saying that she is the most important thing in his life, but to actually see it in action right in front of him makes him finally believe that statement.

He definitely is on the right track to earning his respect back.

"You were amazing out there sweet pea!" Hercule proudly exclaims, putting both hands on his daughter's shoulders.

Videl can't help but grin back at her father. "Thank you daddy!" she excitedly replies. "Did you see that technique I used out there?"

Hercule nods. "Yep, and I even understand what you did, all thanks to that Junjoubu guy you fight crime with," his expression drops into a serious one. "We talked about a lot of things actually, but I will tell you all about them after everything is over with."

Outwardly, Videl looks incredibly shocked at the development. Inwardly however, she's excited. If her father's reaction to her using ki was any indication of how the conversation with Gohan went, then she believes that Gohan forgave her dad for what he did and made a deal with him. She can't believe that her father actually took the initiative (since she knows that Gohan wouldn't be one to confront Hercule about it) and actually made things right with the man that she potentially loves!

This day honestly couldn't get any better at the moment.

Eventually, Gohan gets called to the ring. Noticing this, she wants to say good luck to him since he is going against another one of the suspicious people. "Alright daddy, but if you could excuse me, I would like to wish 'Kenshinbu' good luck since he's fighting next."

A puzzled expression crosses Hercule's face for a moment before he realizes who she's talking about. "Of course sweet pea," he replies, understanding in his expression. After all, he is the one who taught her all of these… techniques (what did he call it… ki manipulation?), and he's also the one who has been helping her fight crime for the past couple of years, so he understands if she feels the need to wish him good luck. "Enjoy your victory. I have to prepare for my match against that blond woman over there." He points at Eighteen, who is leaning against the wall away from everyone else. "I believe her name is Juuhachi," he adds.

Internally, Videl giggles at her father's matchup. He doesn't stand a chance if that's the same Android Eighteen both Gohan and Seventeen have talked about. However, she smiles at her father outwardly. "Alright daddy, good luck!"

Hercule gives his daughter a peck on the cheek before dismissing himself. As soon as he leaves, she quickly makes her way over to Gohan, who appears to be in the middle of a serious discussion with Seventeen.

"–ing about this." she catches the last part of the bio-android's sentence. "I still can't get a good ki reading on that guy."

"I agree Seventeen, but I think I'll be alright," Gohan answers confidently. "Still, I'll make sure to keep my guard up. Thanks Seventeen."

"Kenshinbu," Videl interrupts, forcing both of the two's attention on her. She suddenly smiles shyly with a faint blush on her cheeks, something that Seventeen doesn't fail to notice. "Good luck with your match. I know you'll kick his butt!"

Gohan blushes back slightly, although it's lost underneath his bandana. But he still finds the reaction odd. _Why am I blushing? She only said good luck, but then again, I don't think I can ever look at her the same way again after what I discovered._ "Thanks Videl, I will do my best, that's for sure," he answers, only half meaning it. He will do his best to win the match, but if he actually does his best he might accidentally kill the poor guy.

Eventually, Gohan starts to march out to the ring with Kibito in step with him. As they both approach the ring, a group of the fighters in the lounge all gather around to watch. This includes all of the Z-fighters (except for Eighteen and Vegeta) as well as Shin.

"Alright, as I explained earlier, none of you can jump in, I promise you that Gohan will be fine," Shin reiterates, causing Videl's eyes to widen for multiple reasons. One, being that this stranger appears to know that the one fighting is Gohan and the other reason being that he's talking as if Gohan is going to be pummeled. Feeling the need to defend her friend, Videl turns to Shin, only to be interrupted by him.

"I know you're wondering how I know that he's Gohan, Videl, and also what I am talking about. I will explain everything in due time, but I assure you that the man that you love will be alright in the end. Kibito will make sure of that." This statement causes Videl to gape at the purple skinned man, blushing furiously. Not only does a complete stranger know that she has feelings for her best friend, but he also stated it out loud in front of all of Gohan's friends! She just stays silent in order to prevent further embarrassment on her part.

_How did he even know I liked him in the first place? _She wonders incredulously. _Better yet, how did he know that Kenshinbu is Gohan? He's still wearing that wristband! Who is this guy?_

* * *

~Finals Ring~

Gohan studies his opponent thoroughly as he walks up to the arena. As far as he can tell, this guy seems like a fighter with brute strength and not a lot of speed. Of course he also can tell from just looking at him that he is not from this planet and thus might be more skilled than he appears.

He has also been trying to get a good read on the man's ki, but as Seventeen had stated earlier, it is almost impossible. He can barely catch hold of the ki signature, as it is ethereal in nature, which freaks him out immensely. He has absolutely no clue what that means, and after trying to figure it out ever since he first felt this man and his companion's ki signature, he still is as clueless as before.

He is startled out of his anxious thoughts by the announcer's call to fight. Gohan quickly lowers himself in a defensive stance, waiting for his opponent to attack, but finds that he is not even moving. The red-skinned man just continues to bore his dark, onyx eyes into him, as if reading his soul. This unnerves Gohan like no other. He is about to launch an offensive when the man's voice stops him.

"Gohan," he states blandly. "I would like you to transform into an ascended super saiyan for me."

Gohan literally stumbles out of shock, the only thing keeping him upright is the fact that his jaw is also on the floor. "H-how do you know who I am?" He stumbles across the words, still trying to regain the feeling in his legs as they feel as if they turned to jelly out of sheer shock. "And how do you know about saiyans, let alone super saiyans and the fact that there's even a level beyond that?"

Kibito merely grunts, signaling impatience. "All will be explained in time," he answers, much to Gohan's annoyance. This guy just revealed to everyone within hearing range (meaning the Z-fighters) his identity. After going to such great lengths to conceal himself, this guy of all people is the one to mess things up. Now everyone knows who he is.

Not only that, but he is asking him to transform into his super saiyan 2 state. He knows he has complete control of it; that's not the problem. The problem is that now everyone at the tournament will know that he's the delivery boy from the Cell Games if he complies.

And this 'Kibito' doesn't even bother to tell him why he's putting his identity on the line! Is the red man really that strong where he'll need to actually fight at full power just to beat him? Or is he just trying to pull a quick one on him? After all, he still has no clue how this guy knows what a saiyan is, let alone that he is one that is capable of such a transformation.

Gohan shows his annoyance. "Why should I believe you?

"Because the Earth will be in grave danger if you don't!" he answers, catching the demi-saiyan completely off guard.

"W-what are you talking about?" he questions, now extremely confused at what's going on, and yet also concerned as well now.

"There is a reason I know who and what you are, and also what you are capable of," the man replies cryptically. "But I assure you everything will be revealed in due time. However, it is essential that you transform right now so that we know if you are indeed as strong as we believe you are. Please, trust me on this!"

In the background, boos and jeers can be heard since it appears as if the fighters aren't doing anything other than talking. Even the announcer is urging the two to fight, reminding them that the match has already started, but Gohan and Kibito just ignore it all. "What kind of threat are you talking about!?" Gohan asks, now concerned for the safety of the planet, yet at the same time suspicious if what this man is telling him is even true or not.

Kibito growls at the stubbornness of the demi-saiyan. He's not used to people questioning him, but then again, he never has had to come to the living realm to recruit someone to stop a potential threat either. "It's a threat to the entire universe as we know it! Now I promise you that I will explain more once you transform, so could you please cooperate with me?!"

Gohan honestly doesn't have a clue what to do. Should he trust this man? Should he show him his power? What if he is actually an enemy who is trying to draw him out into a state of vulnerability? Yes, if he transforms he will be more powerful than anyone else, but if this person even knows about the transformation than he knows that as well, so why would he ask him to transform?

He has a feeling however that this man is not the enemy. The demi-saiyan has always been good at reading people's expressions, and he can tell that there aren't any spiteful intentions from this man. Furthermore, his instincts are telling him that this man has a reason for being so secretive at the moment about everything, and that he means it when he says that he will explain it all to him later. Gohan has always been a person who is quick to trust someone, so much so to a fault at times.

And this time is no different.

"Alright," he concedes. "I'll transform into an ascended super saiyan. But just remember, you asked for this."

Kibito smiles at Gohan. "Thank you. It will be of great help to us"

Gohan nods and then sighs. _Well there goes my cover, but I guess that it was already blown when this guy said who I was to begin with. _The demi-saiyan snaps his fingers and instantly he transforms into a super saiyan. His black hair immediately changes to an almost bleached blond and his eyes from a dark onyx to a sharp teal. No aura accompanies the transformation, showing just how much control of it he has, although the white bandana that covers his hair shoots off of him at the stiffening of his hair.

Already, the ki wristband on his left wrist is showing signs of overload as it starts sparking, proving to everyone watching just how powerful he is at the moment despite the rather nonchalant way it happened. He is surging with ki, as he is at nearly full power as a super saiyan. _Now comes the more difficult part_. He muses as he crouches in a powering up stance.

Suddenly, there's a shift in the wind as Gohan starts to gather more power. It's been a while since he's had to transform into super saiyan 2 with so many people around. Usually when he trains on his own to practice this form he goes in a part of the woods that is deserted and makes a ki shield around the area that is able to withhold his power. However, this will only be the second time in the last four and a half years where he has transformed without it and he knows that it could be potentially dangerous to the spectators.

However, he figures that if he doesn't go full power that he should be able to contain the effects to the area of the ring, so that's what he does. As he continues to gather more power, the glasses on his face start shaking, eventually getting blown off by the winds that continue to increase. Stray sparks of blue electricity start to flow off of the demi-saiyan and his hair takes on a more golden hue.

Finally, with a cry, a golden aura erupts around Gohan and he disappears in a blinding golden light, causing everyone watching to shield their eyes. The ground beneath the ring starts shaking, some of the tiles even flying into the air at the force of the cyclone winds that now surround Gohan. The band that holds his hair into a ponytail breaks apart, disintegrating in the super saiyan aura and his long hair starts standing even more on end.

The heat that the demi-saiyan is generating is causing clouds to form above the ring. Suddenly, a single bolt of lightning strikes Gohan, and it is at that moment that his ki wristband shatters into thousands of pieces and his ki floods the furthest reaches of the Northern Galaxy.

The sudden rush in ki makes everyone stumble since it is so mind-blowingly strong. Where there was once only a normal human there is now a full-fledged super saiyan 2. What shocks everyone is that the ki is also much stronger than it was when he fought Cell, and even stronger than it was when he fought Bojack!

The one who is shocked the most however is Videl. Unlike the other Z-fighters, as well as Goten who can feel Gohan's ki through their bond, she has never felt Gohan's true power before. She knew he was strong, but the ki that she feels from him at this moment is so big that it gives her a headache! She has never felt anything quite like this ever.

She also realizes that this will be the first time that she will see him as an ascended super saiyan as well. She has seen him as a super saiyan before, after all she saw him fight Pan in the Intergalactic tournament as well as watched his spars with Seventeen, but this will be the first time she's seen him at the next level!

Eventually Gohan's ki levels off at a level just above his when he fought Bojack and the winds die down. One-by-one, the tiles of the arena that were picked up fall back into place. Finally, after a few moments, Gohan emerges from the cyclone storm.

And Videl loses her breath at the sight.

She honestly doesn't think she's ever seen anything as beautiful before. Gohan, who already was sculpted like a god before, now has muscles that are even more pronounced. His hair looks magical, the way it stands on end, yet glows as if it were sculpted out of the purest gold and the sun is hitting it at the exact right spot. The bandana that he had around his face is now long gone and disintegrated, showing off his handsome facial features that she loves once more. All of this along with the fact that he's wrapped in a glowing golden aura with blue electricity jumping off of him like wildfire gives him a god-like appearance that she just can't help but drool at.

But what really drives her insane are his turquoise eyes. They are piercing, demanding respect from whoever looks into them, yet she can see that they are also tender and filled with love. Even if she had no clue that this was Gohan before, she would be able to clearly tell by just looking into his eyes.

Seeing this in front of her, she truly believes that Gohan is an angel from the heavens. Her heart starts pounding faster and faster at the sight until she fears that her heart is going to rip out of her chest. Her breathing rate increases and she starts to feel hotter as if she just got done practicing the Kaioken technique. She starts to sweat, yet unable to look away from her best friend as she is mesmerized by the sheer beauty that is Gohan's super saiyan 2 form.

She puts her hands over her heart as she lightly moans out his name. If there was any doubt in her mind whether she truly loved Gohan or not, it shattered in this moment. It's clear as the purest crystal in the world to her now that she is in love with the teen demi-saiyan.

Gohan smirks at the awed look that he's getting from Kibito. Obviously he didn't expect this much power from him. "So, Kibito, is this good enough for you?" he states, obviously playing with the red-skinned man.

The deity quickly regains his composure and smirks back at Gohan. "Yes, it's exactly what we were looking for."

The demi-saiyan scowls at the look Kibito has on his face. In fact, it doesn't seem to be directed at him at all, but rather behind him.

And that's when everything falls apart.

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf

sensei- teacher, master


	15. Confrontation & Attack

**A/N: Hey guys. Here I am again. I have some good news and some bad news. Since I always liked the bad news first followed by the good news, that's what I'm going to do. **

**While I'm close, I was not able to finish chapter 15 this past week. Therefore, that tells me that my class schedule is too heavy for weekly updates like I've been doing. I still will write and update, but it will be at a bi-weekly pace instead. I already put an update on the bottom of my profile informing you all of this change, as well as another really important change. Please read this on my profile when you get the chance. **

**I really apologize for this, but with arguably my toughest year of pharmacy school this year, I need to spend more of my time studying. ****This fact disappoints me too.**

**Here's the good news. I got a record number of reviews last chapter (9) and that made me very determined to continue with this story. I promise you that any free time not dedicated to school or family will be writing this and trying to finish this at a moderate, consistent pace. Even though weekly is a bit much, I think bi-weekly is more than doable for me. **

**So that's my rant on the updating schedule. Hopefully you guys understand why I changed it. **

**Now onto this chapter. I really liked all the guesses on who you guys think this mystery Junjoubu is! Don't worry, he will be revealed this chapter so you can look forward to that! This chapter also is one of my true favorites that I've written, and I think it's some of my best work, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 14: Confrontation & Attack

~Finals Fighter's Lounge, Main Arena, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island, Age 772~

Goku takes Junjoubu across the fighters lounge in order to talk. Now that the actual conversation with his son is happening, he finds himself nervous of his son's reaction to him. According to Piccolo, Gohan has despised him for the past few years since his mother died. He's afraid to see all of the hurt and pain in Gohan's eyes, and even more afraid to see hate directed at him.

He couldn't even imagine what he would do if Gohan actually hated him. He loves Gohan more than anything, and the thought of his son believing anything else to the contrary makes him feel like a failure. That would mean that he didn't display his love to Gohan enough, and he doesn't even know if he could forgive himself if that was true.

However, he's been seeing encouraging signs all day so far. First off, when he beat that high school kid in the prelims, he could have sworn that Gohan had smiled at him, which wouldn't have happened if he was mad at him. Then, just a few moments ago, he saw Gohan smile at him when he agreed to talk to him. He could have scowled at him and argued against it, but had agreed after only a moment, seeming completely friendly about it. These incidents, while small, give him hope.

Eventually, Goku and Junjoubu make it to a nice, secluded spot in the fighter's lounge. Goku turns to face his son and already finds himself calming down. Gohan has always had that effect on him, being able to calm him down in times of stress. He doesn't exactly know why, but he has a feeling it has to do with his parental bond with him.

Now that he is seeing his son up close for the first time in five years, he can't help but notice just how much he's grown up over the years. Gone is the baby fat on his face, replaced with defined cheekbones that are all too familiar with Goku since he has the same ones, apparent even under the bandana. He has also shot up like a flower in spring, as he has probably grown almost a foot since he last saw him and is now only a few inches shorter than him. He however can definitely tell that it's Gohan.

"So what did you want to talk with me about?" Junjoubu asks Goku kindly, startling him out of his observations. The full-blooded saiyan scratches the back of his head sheepishly before answering.

"Well…" he starts, not really sure of how to begin this conversation. In truth, he is taken aback by Gohan's calmness and friendliness. He was expecting him to be harsher with him, perhaps even start yelling at him, but this is quite unexpected, at least if what Piccolo said about his son being angry at him is true.

Not that he's complaining of course.

"Look, Goku," Junjoubu interrupts the saiyan, realizing that he's not going to continue yet knowing where the conversation will end up going. "I know what you're thinking, and you are definitely not the first, but I am not who you think I am."

Goku's eyes widen at that. "What are you talking about?" He voices his surprise out loud.

Junjoubu sighs. "I know you think that I'm your son, but I'm not."

This confuses the dead saiyan for a moment until he realizes what he's doing. Gohan obviously doesn't want to get discovered as Junjoubu, so he's going to deny being Gohan to try and stay hidden.

Well Goku doesn't buy it for a second.

"Common, Gohan, It's alright." Goku tries. "We are out of hearing distance for everyone so you can admit it to me."

"Goku, I'm really not Gohan," Junjoubu calmly insists, looking the saiyan dead in the eye through his sunglasses.

Goku frowns. Why does he keep denying that he's his son? He can definitely tell that he is! All he has to do is look at him! Sure, his face is mostly covered, but he can still tell by the way he moves and acts. "Sorry Gohan, but you can't fool me," Goku replies to Junjoubu's claim. "You may be disguised as that superhero Piccolo told me about, but I still can tell it's you."

Junjoubu huffs, now starting to get irritated. "Look Goku," He tries again. "I know that we share a lot of traits, but I'm not Gohan."

Now Goku is getting frustrated. This is getting him nowhere. "Cut the crap Gohan," he orders, using a stern voice that he rarely uses. "I know that you want to stay hidden, but I can tell that it's you, so why do you keep saying you're not him?"

"Because I'm not!" Junjoubu shouts, finally fed up with the accusations. He knows that he looks like Gohan; he knows that he acts like him, but he's _not_ Gohan! Normally he would love being compared to him, but right now it is quite angering that not even Gohan's own father can tell the difference between them. "How many times do I have to say that I'm not Gohan before it gets through your thick head?"

The saiyan is quite startled by the adamancy of Junjoubu's denial. He would have figured that Gohan would have caved by now and admitted it. Perhaps he isn't Gohan…

He looks at the man in front of him more closely. He seems to be quite frustrated at the moment, but seeing him like this makes Goku all the more certain that this man really is Gohan. The bandana and glasses do a good job at hiding it, but the dead hero recognizes that expression. It's the same one he remembers Gohan having on his face when he was training for the androids and got frustrated when he couldn't hit him in their spars.

Goku tries to get his son to confess one more time. "Well, if you're not Gohan, then who are you and why do you look and act so much like him?"

The disguised man smirks, although it is lost behind the bandana. "I'm Junjoubu."

"I mean your _real_ name, 'Junjoubu,'" Goku shoots back, now somewhat angry himself at his son's smartass attitude.

Junjoubu frowns. "I… can't really tell you who I am at the moment–"

"Because you're Gohan!" Goku states, interrupting the other man.

"No!" The crime fighter doppelganger replies furiously. Dende why won't this guy just listen to him! "Because it's important that I stay hidden from Shin!"

This catches Goku's attention. That was completely unexpected. This guy is trying to hide from Shin, one of the people that aren't normal at this tournament? Goku decides to stop trying to make him admit that he's Gohan for now as he is curious as to what this is about. "What do you mean that you need to stay hidden from Shin? How do you know him?"

*sigh* "Goku, It's really a complicated story, and I really don't want to talk about it right now," He explains. "But… just know that I need to stay hidden from Shin in order to be able to keep Gohan safe."

Goku raises an eyebrow. "Really," he states, not truly believing him. "What's Shin going to do that 'Gohan' needs protecting from?"

"…well its not what he does but what someone else does–"

"Man Gohan!" Goku yells out irritated. "You really are making quite the elaborate story, just so I don't suspect that you're my son!"

Junjoubu stares at an angry Goku blankly. Is he serious?! Does he _still_ think he's Gohan?! Goku really doesn't get it! Junjoubu can't believe that the dead saiyan hasn't realized that he's someone else!

Finally, his patience with the man runs out.

"Goku!" He shouts out furiously. Luckily, they are really in a secluded spot away from everyone, otherwise all of the finalists would be able to hear his shouts. "Do you seriously_ still_ think I'm Gohan!? Do you know your son _at_ _all_!? Do you seriously think that Gohan, _your son _Gohan, would be able to come up with such an elaborate lie to tell you and not give away that he's lying!?"

Goku just looks on with shock as Junjoubu continues. "Think about it! Gohan is probably the _worst_ liar in the entire universe! How in the _hell _could he come up with something like I'm telling you, just to keep his identity a secret!?"

The dead saiyan is dead silent, Junjoubu's words echoing throughout his mind. He suddenly comes to the painful realization that this man that is standing before him is right. Gohan wouldn't be able to lie about something as simple as stealing ice cream from the freezer, let alone something as elaborate and serious as this. He has been talking to this 'Junjoubu' for a while now, and he hasn't once seen anything in his expressions that would give away that he's lying about anything he's said.

Goku falls into shock after this discovery. He spent more than a half hour talking to this stranger and the whole time thought he was Gohan. Now he finds out he's not and it leads to one painful realization, one that shatters his heart into a million pieces.

He really _doesn't_ know his son at all.

He mentally berates himself. How did he not realize that this person wasn't his son sooner? Why did his mind insist that this man was Gohan? How could he not tell the difference?

Junjoubu, realizing what Goku is thinking, becomes worried, and starts to feel guilty. He didn't mean to be so harsh with him. He was just sick and tired of him not even listening to him since he was so dead set on believing that he was Gohan. He can't really blame the saiyan, since he does look incredibly similar to the demi-saiyan and he does act like him as well.

"Goku," Junjoubu softly addresses the saiyan, guilt clearly present in his tone. "I'm sorry for being so harsh… I understand completely how you could get us confused. It's not your fault. Like I said, you're not the first one that thought that and you're most definitely not the last…" he adds.

Goku looks up at Junjoubu sadly. "Thanks Junjoubu," he replies. He still is incredibly sad that he didn't realize that this man wasn't Gohan, even with the reassurance of the other that he gets that sort of thing frequently. Gohan is his son! He should be able to tell the difference no matter how similar someone else is to him!

However, he decides to let it go for now and focuses on Junjoubu. Now that he knows that this isn't Gohan, question after question starts mounting in his head about who this guy actually is and how he knows so much about his son.

Out of all of them though, he decides to ask the most pertinent question in his mind. "You said something earlier about needing to hide from Shin to keep Gohan safe," Goku suddenly states, all prior sadness leaving his voice being replaces with an incredible seriousness. "Now that I know that you're not Gohan, what did you mean by that?"

Junjoubu grins underneath his bandana. He's incredibly glad that Goku decided to not question his identity further, or how he knows so much about Gohan, since he doesn't want to give away his secrets quite yet. However, this is something that he can answer without a problem. "Well, as I was saying before, it's not what Shin does, but what someone else does. You will probably meet Shin once we return to the others, but he is not the enemy. In fact, he's probably the one who wants to get rid of the enemy the most."

Goku becomes confused. "So… why do you need to hide from Shin?"

"This is where it becomes a little confusing," Junjoubu explains, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "If he found out who I was, then so would–"

"GOKU!"

The saiyan in question turns abruptly to the sound of the new voice. Piccolo looks at Goku and then Junjoubu questionably before returning his gaze to the dead saiyan. "You have to come back with me. Something incredibly important came up."

Goku looks back at Junjoubu, and as if reading the saiyan's mind, the disguised teen nods at Goku. "Go. You'll find out what I mean soon enough," he answers, before leaning in and whispering something into Goku's ear that not even Piccolo's sensitive hearing can pick up. "He's going to take you to Shin most likely. I promise that you will find out who I am before we fight, but you cannot tell Shin or anyone else anything I have already told you. Please trust me!"

The dead hero is stuck on what to do. He doesn't know if he really should trust this complete stranger. Then again, he looks up at the stranger and can clearly see the resemblance to Gohan. He looks so much like him as well as knows so much about him that he still finds it hard not to think that he's him. Combine that with the saiyan's incredibly trusting nature and he finds that despite just meeting this man a little under an hour ago, he trusts that he knows what he's talking about.

He won't tell anyone.

* * *

~Competitor's Daycare, Main Arena Grandstands~

"Look! That's my daddy!" Goten eagerly shouts to Marron, pointing at the disguised teenager. Both chibis have been watching all of the other matches intently. Goten found out a lot about his new friend in that timeframe.

First off, her daddy seems to know how to manipulate ki. He also seemed to be every bit as strong as Marron had said, making quick work of his opponent after playing with him a bit. The chibi knows that not a lot of people know ki manipulation since his daddy had told him that a lot of people think it's not real. He told Marron that his daddy had been teaching him about it, and asked her if she knew any. The blond chibi had told her new friend that she didn't, but she planned on asking her daddy about it when he picked her up.

The next thing he found out was that Marron also knew Mr. Piccolo. When he had come out for his match, both had simultaneously shouted out the Namekian's name and that's when both realized that the other knew who he was. Goten had asked her where she knew him from and she had told him that she had never actually met the man but she heard many stories about him from her daddy, one of which was when he participated in the 23rd Budokai. He had told her that he used to be a bad guy until he started training someone named Gohan and that he changed after that. She had told the raven haired chibi that that was one of her favorite stories because her daddy had done the same thing to her mommy.

That's when Goten told her that his daddy's name was Gohan, surprising the little girl immensely. Her daddy had told her many stories about Gohan and how he was one of his best friends, even though he was only a kid. She told Goten about how her daddy would tell stories about how they both went into space to a different planet to find dragonballs and how Gohan had even saved his life a few times.

Goten realized that this little girl's stories all match up with the stories that his daddy would tell him right before bed. He couldn't believe that her daddy was one of the main characters in his bedtime stories! He was going to continue the conversation by asking her if he could meet her daddy when Videl had walked out to the ring. After seeing 'Ane' Videl, he quickly drew his attention back to the ring, excited to watch her fight.

At this point, Goten felt like he could trust Marron, so he told her that his daddy had been training Videl in ki usage, and that she's really strong. He told the little girl that she is also so nice and one of the funnest people ever to play with. After that, they both watched the fight with great interest, Goten cheering when she won using the Kaioken.

"Wow, he looks just like you Goten," Marron states. "Just without the helmet."

"Yep!" he chirps back. "Daddy's a superhero! He's going to win this no problem!"

"Are you sure Goten?" The blonde chibi asks hesitantly. "That other guy looks really scary."

"Don't worry Marron. Daddy's really strong. He can beat that guy like all of the other monsters."

At that, the announcer declares the match to begin. Both chibis watch for a few moments, but find that neither one is doing anything. In fact, it appears that they are talking. Gohan stumbles backwards a little, apparently shocked at something the big red man said.

Marron looks on confused. "Umm… Goten?" she asks. "Why aren't they fighting?"

Goten is just as confused. For a moment, he felt his daddy's shock at something, but it went away quickly, so he doesn't know what is going on either. "I don't know Marron. Daddy must have a good reason though."

They continue to watch the ring, waiting for the action to start when all of a sudden, Gohan's hair turns blond without warning, and Goten feels his ki shoot way up through his bond, causing the boy to involuntarily gasp at the drastic change. Marron's eyes widen, never seeing someone change their hair color so drastically in the blink of an eye.

"Goten… what did your daddy just do?" the little girl asks, quite surprised at this development.

Goten grins at the little girl. "He just turned super saiyan!"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, his hair changes color and so do his eyes, but he also becomes super duperly stronger too!"

Marron's little chocolate brown orbs widen once more. "Oh wow!" she excitedly states.

Goten nods energetically. "Yeah! And that's not even his highest…"

Goten drifts off as he feels his daddy's ki start to increase more. Now _his_ eyes widen as he figures out what his daddy is doing next, becoming even more excited than before. "Marron! He's going to asent!"

Marron doesn't know what Goten is talking about, but seeing that he's so excited, she can't help but catch the boy's enthusiasm. Before she gets a chance to ask about it though, the ground starts shaking and clouds start to gather over the ring. The little girl starts to become scared. "What's happening Goten?"

Seeing his new friend become frightened, he wants to comfort her again and brings her into another hug. "Don't worry Marron," he states soothingly. "My daddy is just building ki. This happens sometimes when he trains too."

Just at that moment, a lightning bolt strikes Gohan, causing both chibis to jump and scream. That even startled Goten since he doesn't remember that happening before. He's never seen the physical transformation since Gohan never takes him with him when he trains this form. The chibi only knows about it since he can feel his daddy's ki through his bond with him. He had never known that lightning struck him.

He is scared of what he just saw, but is immediately comforted by his daddy's monstrous ki. Even though it is so powerful, it still radiates the warmth and love that he always feels from it, and Goten takes great comfort in the sensation. However, he sees Marron trembling in his arms, and he knows that she is still scared. He tries to comfort his newest friend as much as he can, remembering how his daddy always comforts him.

It is at this time that Mr. Hitsuijikai comes over and looks down at the scene with concerned eyes. Personally, that display in the arena even scared him a little, but he doesn't show it to the two chibis in the room. Instead, he watches Goten try and comfort Marron in his embrace and is touched by the sight. He hasn't been listening to their conversations, allowing them just to play together and obviously watch the tournament, but he remembers that the chibi in the costume is one of his students in his K-5 class, Goten.

Even if he didn't know who it was though, he could tell by just looking at this scene in front of him. Goten has proven to be the sweetest chibi he's ever had the pleasure to teach since whenever someone else in his class becomes upset, he is always one of the first ones to comfort them, no matter who they are. He smiles at the sight.

"Marron," he coos, startling both chibis a little since they forgot that he was even here. "What's wrong sweety?"

As he normally does, Goten tries to give Marron to his teacher, but the girl surprisingly clings to her newest friend. She doesn't want to leave Goten. This development shocks the teacher, but he smiles sweetly after a moment, finding it adorable that the little girl doesn't want to leave her new friend.

However, that all changes in an instant.

All at once, Goten lets go of Marron and clutches the left side of his stomach in pain, yelling out. This startles the two others in the room immensely, but Goten doesn't stop there. The painful sensation in the chibi fades quickly, but is replaced by fear and dread.

Something horrible is happening to his daddy!

He quickly goes back to the window and looks out in horror as he sees two people with gigantic muscles that weren't there before surrounding his daddy. The bigger guy is holding his daddy in a nelson lock while the other is stabbing him with a strange looking device. The red skinned man meanwhile glares at the two others, but does nothing to stop them.

Goten's first instinct is to cry out for help, and that's what he does. He screams out for anyone to help him, but nothing happens. Not even Marron's daddy or Mr. Piccolo is going out to help his daddy! The chibi continues to wail as his daddy's pain-filled screams fill his ears.

Mr. Hitsuijikai wants with all of his heart to help the poor chibi, but he has his hands already tied with the little girl Marron, who upon seeing Goten's reaction, started sobbing as well.

Eventually, Gohan becomes so weak that he drops out of his super saiyan transformation, showing just how much ki was taken from him. It's at this moment where Goten stops crying as his fear is quickly replaced with anger, not only anger at the ones who attacked his daddy, but anger at everyone who just sat there and watched.

Well if they won't help him, than he will!

Much to the continued shock of the teacher and also to the shock of Marron, Goten suddenly powers up without warning, a white, flaming aura exploding around him and also creating a gust of wind throughout the room. The chibi's helmet flies off of his head in the wind, but he doesn't care. He just wants to save his daddy! Soon after he powers up he flies out the window of the daycare and towards his daddy, leaving a concerned little girl and a gaping kindergarten teacher in his wake.

_Hang on daddy! I'll save you!_

* * *

~Fighter's Lounge, Main Arena~

_Gohan!_

Goku is dead shocked, watching as his firstborn son gets the life sucked out of him, literally! Piccolo had told them all about this: that Shin is actually the Supreme Kai, that there's a new evil threatening this planet, and also that Gohan would be attacked by the two muscular men. However, both he and Shin were adamant that Gohan would end up alright and not to interfere no matter what.

However, that's definitely not an easy order for the saiyan to follow. He thought when they both had said that Gohan would be alright that he would be able to fight off the two no problem, not let them suck the ki right out of him through a strange looking device! Apparently this is what Supreme Kai was looking for though as he still is telling everyone to not interfere.

Goku continues to watch his son scream out in agony. He won't be able to stand this for much longer. Piccolo has already had to stop Krillin and a girl (that he assumes is Gohan's girlfriend if what Supreme Kai said about her loving him is true) from rushing out to the ring. Eventually, both subsided to their fate.

What surprised Goku the most though was Seventeen's furious rage. When Piccolo had tried to stop him, he was thrashing about, trying with all of his might to break the Namekian's hold. Eventually, Vegeta had to come over and give him a good chop to his neck to knock out the bio-android, as he would not calm down.

The dead saiyan knows that it is important to follow the Supreme Kai's instructions. After all, he is the ultimate ruler of the universe. However, if this goes on much longer, Goku doesn't know if he will be able to control his anger. He could never stand the sight of Gohan in any sort of pain, and the pain he's going through right now is really bringing out his angry side.

His ki level subconsciously starts to rise, alerting the other Z-fighters of Goku. Right now he has a look of utter frustration and fury on his face at the scene in the ring. It's getting harder and harder for him to stay in control as he sees his son fall out of super saiyan.

_It's almost over_, he reminds himself. Supreme Kai had told him that they wouldn't kill Gohan, only take his ki. His plan was to let them take all of the ki they need and then follow them to their master. This ki drainage has gone on for a long time now though, and Gohan _still_ hasn't stopped screaming. He really doesn't know how much more of this he can take.

That's when something he never would have seen coming happens.

A small, green blur comes from seemingly nowhere and strikes the big, bulky guy right in the face, making the brute drop his hold on Gohan and go flying not only into the concrete wall on the outside of the ring, but _through _it! Not even a second later, the smaller guy with the ki draining device suffers the same fate. As that blur becomes more defined, he gasps as he realizes who it is.

Goten.

The terrified four year old immediately runs to Gohan's body, who had fallen to the ground and quickly passed out from both the pain and the lack of ki, screaming for him to wake up. What takes Goku aback is the fact that Goten is screaming for his 'daddy' to wake up. The chibi really believes Gohan to be his dad, and Goku can't help but feel a pang of guilt before quickly suppressing it into a relieved expression. Gohan doesn't look that well–in fact, he looks absolutely horrible–but at least those big guys are dealt with. The force of Goten's kicks should put those two out of commission for at least a week!

After getting over his shock, Goku realizes that the girl form earlier (Videl he believes her name was) is running to the ring, not caring that she is displaying the fact that she cares for Gohan to everyone in the grandstands. Most of the other Z-fighters are staring at the ring shocked at what just occurred, including a very alarmed Supreme Kai.

"I-is that Goten?" Krillin finally asks, still shocked at what just occurred. First those two muscle men attack Gohan and the Supreme Kai paralyzes the demi-saiyan so that he doesn't fight back. Then, this little boy flies in from out of nowhere and attacks the two men, sending them both through a solid 12-inch thick wall of concrete. Now said boy is crying while cradling Gohan's head and wishing for his 'daddy' to wake up.

Supreme Kai quickly comes out of his stupor and answers the monk. "Yes, it is! I can't believe I forgot about him! I should have seen something like this coming!" Despite the unseen development though, the kai smiles. "But not to worry. The plan still will take place. Both of the Majin took enough ki. As soon as they recover they will be on their way to their master."

"Well you could be waiting a while because I don't think either of those two are getting out anytime soon," Krillin comments back.

"Don't worry, we won't have to wait long," the kai states, much to the black haired monk's shock. "They are under a magical spell. They will recover in no time. In the meantime, I want you all to stay put. Kibito will heal Gohan then convince him to go with us. I meanwhile will go after them as soon as they fly off and follow them. I would really appreciate it if you all would come with me."

"Why do you need our help?" Goku asks. Now that the wellbeing of his son has been addressed he's curious as to what the Supreme Kai could use help with.

"I will tell you more on the way, but the short story is that there is a wizard controlling those two men that attacked Gohan and he needs to be stopped before he releases a monster that could terrorize the entire universe."

Goku ponders the situation. He really wants to make sure that Gohan is okay, but this is the Supreme Kai saying that the entire universe would be in danger if they don't stop this threat. If the highest ruler in the universe wants him to help, then he should go help. Besides, he has the Supreme Kai's word that Gohan will be alright.

"Alright… I guess I'll help," Goku answers, much to the kai's delight. He was worried that Goku would reject him after what happened to Gohan.

"Hold it right there Kakarot!" Vegeta yells, now making his way over to the others. He grabs the saiyan by the front of his gi top and lifts him up in air despite the fact that he's a few inches shorter than the younger saiyan. "I only entered this stupid tournament to get a chance to fight you, and once you beat that Junjoubu freak and I destroy my pathetic excuse of an opponent we would be scheduled to fight in the next round! You better not be running away from our next match!"

Goku waves his hands in front him in the universal sign of surrender. "Don't worry Vegeta, I will quickly take care of this thing with the Supreme Kai and as soon as I'm done, we'll fight, just like old times."

Vegeta shoves Goku backwards with a grunt. "You fool! You forget that you only have twenty-four hours here!"

The younger saiyan scratches the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "Well I guess that slipped my mind, but why don't you come with me? If you're there with us, then it should be over with quicker and we can fight sooner."

The saiyan prince scoffs at his fellow saiyan, giving him a glare before giving in. "Fine! I'll go, but we better fight as soon as this is over, you hear me!?"

Goku gives Vegeta his classic grin, much to the shorter saiyan's annoyance. He hates that stupid grin. "Yes Vegeta, I promise you we will." He then looks over at the rest of the group. "What about you guys? You all coming?"

"Hn." Piccolo grunts to the saiyan while nodding.

Krillin is a little more social with his response. "Of course buddy! You're only here for twenty-four hours so I gotta be with ya as much as I can!"

"Well I'm staying," Eighteen speaks up for the first time, now coming off of her spot against the wall. "I've got prize money to win." She walks over to Krillin and to the surprise of everyone else, gives him a quick kiss. "Be careful Krillin. If it gets too tough, back out okay?" she orders, showing concern for her husband's safety.

Krillin smiles at his wife tenderly. "Don't worry Eighteen, I will make sure I make it out alive alright?"

The bio-android nods at her husband and gives him a genuine smile. As if on cue, the two muscular men that Supreme Kai says are being controlled by a wizard fly out from the rubble in the wall, surprising the doctors that were over there to treat them. They fly away from the arena and into the distance and soon are nothing but two specs in the sky.

Supreme Kai nods at everyone else. "It is time." he states seriously. "We must follow them. Everyone, follow my lead."

The kai takes to the sky and flies off after the two Majin. Piccolo, Goku, Vegeta, and Krillin all follow after him, leaving the tournament and Gohan behind.

Too bad they all left when the demi-saiyan needed them most.

* * *

~Finals Ring~

"Gohan! Goten!"

Videl sprints off to the ring before anyone can stop her or tell her otherwise, where Gohan is now lying unconscious with Goten wailing his sorrows to the world. She runs up the steps as quickly as she can and takes care of her first order of business: calming Goten down.

She immediately makes her way to the chibi demi-saiyan, who senses her coming and runs right over to her. Videl does a slide that would make a baseball player cry with pride and catches the chibi in a tight embrace. She's scared out of her wits after seeing what happened to Gohan, but Goten is probably the only person in the whole world more scared than her at this moment. He just witnessed his daddy get stabbed and then drained of all of his energy without being able to fight back.

She's also glad that Goten did what he did. That Shin guy was crazy, telling everyone to stay where they were when the man that she loves was screaming out in agony. Videl is thankful that Goten was able to take out the two that were causing Gohan so much pain.

However, she is still incredibly worried about Gohan. He is unconscious on the floor of the ring, completely drained of ki, and that big red guy doesn't appear to be doing anything to help. Frustrated, she yells frantically at the announcer, who is still dumbfounded at what just took place, to get some medics over here. _It's too bad we don't have a senzu_. Videl muses, remembering stories about the magical healing bean.

She then tends to her crying charge. She holds Goten close to her, rubbing comforting circles in his back. She tells him that Gohan will be alright, despite her fears that he very well might die if his stab wound isn't treated soon and he regains some ki. Over the time that she's been training at Gohan's home, she has gotten good at comforting the chibi, and right now she is incredibly grateful that he seems to find comfort in her.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually Goten stops sobbing in Videl's arms. He still is incredibly sad and worried about his daddy, but he is no longer crying, which Videl is relieved about. However, there is still the state of Gohan's condition. He is still unconscious on the ring tiles, bleeding out from the wound in his stomach.

"W-will da-addy b-be *hiccup* ok-kay?" the morose demi-saiyan asks hesitantly, praying to Dende that he will be.

Videl forces herself to give the demi-saiyan a smile, one that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm sure that he will be fine Goten. The doctors will fix him right up."

"So daddy's not g-gonna… die!?" the chibi cries, hope and trust shining in his tear filled eyes.

"Of course he's not gonna die!" Videl adamantly tells the chibi, not willing to believe otherwise herself.

Goten accepts the reassurance greedily and hugs Videl tightly. "Thanks Ane. I love you." He states honestly.

Videl's heart melts at the chibi demi-saiyan's genuine confession. It already was obvious to her that Goten was quite taken with her–the title 'ane' tells her that much–but this is the first time that Goten has said that he loves her out loud. To actually hear it from him gives her a warm feeling in her heart that really helps calm her down in the situation.

"I love you too Goten," she answers back, truly believing it.

It is at this point that they both are startled by the sudden take off of both Spopovich and Yamu, the two who attacked Gohan. They seem to be able to fly, much to Videl's shock, and they just fly off into the distance. Videl really wants to go after them and give them a piece of her mind for even thinking about attacking Gohan, but she decides that making sure that Gohan is alright is much more important than petty revenge, not to mention that Goten is traumatized at the moment as well.

Apparently not everyone is thinking that way though.

As soon at those two are out of her range of sight, she sees Shin take off after them, with four of the others that she remembers were part of Gohan's group not too far behind the purple deity. If Videl remembers correctly, Shin is going to follow them to their master since apparently those two were being controlled magically. But why is everyone else following them? She recognizes both Goku and Piccolo in that group. Aren't they concerned about Gohan at all!?

Goten notices this as well and voices his question. "Why are they all leaving?" he asks innocently, confused at how they can leave at a time when his daddy is still hurt. Just the thought of his daddy's condition alone makes the chibi tremble with tears coming back into his eyes.

Videl cuddles the chibi close noticing that he is starting to break down again. "I honestly don't know Goten," she answers.

"They are all following the Majin to Babidi," a stern, deep sounding voice booms, making both Videl and Goten jump in surprise. They look up towards the voice and see that it's the red skinned man that was supposed be fighting Gohan.

Videl suddenly turns angry at him. He just stood there and watched Spopovich and Yamu attack the man she loves! He could have done something to help! She gets up to voice her fury!

But someone beats her to it.

"You meanie!" Goten shouts at the red skinned man from his position in Videl's arms. "Why didn't you help my daddy?! You just watched him as he was attacked!"

The outburst stuns Videl immensely. She has never seen Goten angry even a little bit, let alone this furious. He usually is incredibly hard to get mad as he seems to be an unusually happy child, so it shows Videl just how mad the chibi must be to shout at this man like that.

Kibito however doesn't seem to be affected by the chibi's accusation at all. Instead he just looks at them both seriously. "For the same reason that my master didn't allow the others to help. We needed them to drain his ki so we could follow them to their master."

While this explanation only serves to confuse the chibi, Videl understands what he's talking about. She is about to reply when the paramedics finally arrive on scene and start to look at Gohan. _Finally!_ Videl muses angrily. _It took them long enough!_

"This guy is in really bad shape," one of the paramedics states, conscious of the chibi in Videl's arms so he doesn't say out loud that it's not probable that he will make it through these injuries. "We'll have to take him back to the medical ward and treat that stab wound and give him a transfusion since he's already lost so much blood."

Videl nods thankfully at the paramedic while Goten just buries his head in Videl's chest, not able to look at his daddy in the condition that he's in. Kibito however growls impatiently at the paramedics and speaks his protest.

"There will be no need for that," the large man states commandingly, shocking the paramedics and making Videl scowl at the deity. "I will heal him."

"You will do no such thing," an incredibly dark voice states from the distance.

The voice is so cold it sends shivers down everyone's spines. Kibito freezes at the sound, looking in the direction of the voice dreading who it could be. His worst fears are confirmed as he looks into the air and meets the gaze of the creepiest pair of malicious yellow eyes he's ever had the displeasure of seeing.

"Dabura!" He yells, completely shocked at the demon's appearance. He did not foresee Babidi sending one of the demons to the tournament, and now the only person that could possibly defeat him is on the ground, unconscious and bleeding out.

The demon scowls at the red deity. "That's _Prince _Dabura to you!" he corrects harshly.

Then, before anyone else can follow Kibito's gaze, the demon prince moves faster than anyone can see and does an eagle kick straight at Kibito. Normally, the assistant to the Supreme Kai would have enough awareness to dodge this attempt since the demon isn't even powered up yet, but he is just so shocked by the mere presence of the demon prince that he ends up taking the full force of the hit, sending him though the already smashed up wall and making it crumble on top of the red man, knocking him out in the process. He then spits on all of the paramedics surrounding Gohan as well as the announcer, and to everyone's great shock, they all turn to stone in a matter of seconds after the spit makes contact. Quickly after that, he sends out an invisible wave of ki, knocking Videl (and in effect Goten) down and shattering all of the 'statues' that the demon had just made.

This sends a mass panic in the grandstands. Just like at the Intergalactic Tournament, everyone is now rushing out of the stadium, fleeing to safety. It is at this time that Videl recovers from her fall, getting up with haste and looking over at the one responsible for all of this chaos. She and Goten finally get a good look at the demon, and the sight makes Goten scream and cower in Videl's embrace as well as makes the teenage girl muffle a scream of her own.

Right in front of them is who she swears is the epitome of the devil himself. A giant of a man, taller than even Piccolo and Kibito, with blood red skin is and short black horns coming out of his temples is standing in front of them. His oval shaped head has two of the most hateful jaundice eyes she's ever seen baring down straight at her as well as an evil grin, the creature showing off his razor sharp black teeth.

Screams of terror echo throughout the stadium from the fear-filled fans as the demon continues to grin at Videl evilly. "Well, with that waste of space Kibito out of the way, I will kill this nuisance of a saiyan. Those annoying cells of his won't let him die from something as simple as a stab wound."

Videl can only look on in horror as Prince Dabura starts to charge an immense ki blast that could destroy her in an instant. The power, while normally not nearly enough to even make a dent in Gohan, would incinerate the demi-saiyan in the state that he's in, and Videl has no power to stop him. Not even Goten would be able to do anything, even though the chibi demi-saiyan is too scared to even look at the demon right now anyways.

The demon prince is about the unleash the blast on Gohan's unconscious form when he suddenly gets struck in the back of the head, making him stumble forwards a few paces. The blow didn't hurt him at all, but it caught him completely off guard. Both he and Videl turn their gazes to the perpetrator and both are shocked at what they see, Videl looking up with eyes the size of dinner plates and Dabura glaring.

A little boy no older than six years old is standing on the tiled arena. The chibi has short, lavender colored hair in a bowel cut, and is glaring at the giant demon with two piercing sapphire eyes. He is wearing a forest green gi with an orange sash and nothing underneath and is now in a perfect saiyan style martial arts stance. Videl is completely taken aback by the child's sudden appearance when, thanks to the now almost empty stadium, she hears frantic cries of "Trunks" from a woman still present in the grandstands, giving her insight on who this chibi is. She had completely forgot about the fact that his family would be in the stands.

Trunks' mother had alerted him to the fact that Kenshinbu was his estranged older brother as soon as he transformed into a super saiyan. Then, when he saw Gohan get attacked by Spopovich and Yamu, he was going to help him when his mother grabbed on to him and stopped him, saying that his father had contacted her through their bond telling her to keep him in the stands and that Gohan would be fine. Trunks had of course protested her, but he didn't want to hurt her by forcefully escaping her hold, so he just stayed put. Not even a minute later, Goten had come flying over his head and did what he was going to do.

His mother had been so shocked at the appearance of the chibi, screaming out "Goten!" as soon as she saw his face. Trunks, being the bright young scholar that his is, connected the dots instantly and was able to deduce that the flying chibi was his other estranged brother, his younger brother Goten.

Trunks had seen the demon before anyone else had. The red-skinned man had floated right in front of their area of the grandstands before he shouted out at Kibito. He admits that he was scared of Dabura, but when he had attacked Kibito, then turned those others to stone, and finally shattered them with a kiai, he became angry. Realizing that both of his brothers were now in danger and that no one else was going to save them, he was able to escape his mother's embrace amidst all of the chaos in the grandstands and fly down to the ring where he subsequently kicked the demon in the back of the head. He wanted to help them both despite the fact that he never really met them.

Unfortunately, it seems that his kick did nothing to damage Prince Dabura, only managing to annoy him. Now that the evil man's fierce glare is focused on him, his confidence is quickly turning to fear. That was his strongest kick, so if that did nothing to the demon, then he doesn't stand a chance. Still, much to the chibi's credit, he hangs in there and keeps his perfect stance.

Videl only can look on in shock. On one hand, she's incredibly thankful that Trunks arrived and distracted Dabura, as he would have killed Gohan otherwise. On the other hand though, now that Dabura has focused all of his attention on the chibi, she is now afraid for him since his attack obviously didn't faze the demon at all, and now he might get killed in the process.

Goten finally looks up from Videl's arms, his big onyx orbs widening to the size of dinner plates at the sight of the six year old facing Dabura. He wonders just who the kid is, but he keeps his curiosity contained for now, knowing how dire the situation is. He is however very happy at the other's chibi arrival since now he has another person fighting for his daddy.

Prince Dabura growls lowly at the lavender haired chibi. "Grr you brat!" he shouts. "I was about to finish off that worthless saiyan! You'll pay for that stunt with your life."

Trunks starts to waver in his stance, the fear of the situation at hand finally registering in his young mind. However, before the demon gets the chance to attack, he takes two strong blows to the back, the force so powerful that it actually sends him through the air and flying towards the tiles of the ring. Trunks blinks and then smiles, relieved at the two newcomers.

Both Androids Seventeen and Eighteen land on the ring, Seventeen quickly going over to Gohan to check him out and move him out of the ring while Eighteen heads over to Trunks. The female android picks up the chibi, who does nothing to protest, and quickly flies off towards where Bulma is in the grandstands before Dabura has a chance to recover from hers and Seventeen's blow. The male bio-android, after making sure that Gohan will survive the stab wound given that he isn't damaged any more than he is, makes his way over to Videl and Goten, the latter of whom jumps from the former's arms and hugs him.

"Uncle Seventeen!" the raven haired chibi cries, very glad that his sensei came to help.

The black haired android returns the demi-saiyan's embrace enthusiastically. He just came to from being knocked out earlier when Dabura had knocked out Kibito. That's when his sister had come up to him and told him that they needed to go help. Before they had a chance to act though, Trunks had come and saved the day, only to have the attention of the demon turned on him.

At this point, Eighteen became urgent to act. The female android had become great friends with Bulma over the four and a half years she's been with Krillin, oftentimes taking her daughter over to play with Trunks while they catch up over tea. Seeing her best friend's son as well as her daughter's friend in danger really made her fear for the demi-saiyan's life, so it was in that instant when Dabura glared down Trunks that she rushed out from the fighter's lounge towards the ring, urging Seventeen to follow her in hopes of taking down the demon long enough to get the little boy back to his mother safely

Seventeen meanwhile remembered what was happening when he got knocked out and felt the urge to see the teenage demi-saiyan and see how he was doing. It came as a great shock to him to see Videl out there with Goten (who had lost his Junjoubu helmet somehow) in her arms trembling in fear. It was after that that he saw the presence of the demon, looking as if he was about to blow up Gohan with a ki blast until he witnessed Trunks come out of nowhere and strike the demon prince in the back of the head. The bio-android could tell that the attack did nothing to the demon and knew that this was starting to get out of hand.

So when his sister insisted that they attack, he didn't hesitate. It didn't matter that they hadn't seen each other in years, the only thing that mattered is that they protected the ones that they cared about. The reunion and explanations can come later.

Seventeen thanks Dende above that Goten is alright. He really has come to see the demi-saiyan as a sort of adoptive nephew over the last two months of getting to know him. Seventeen wasn't only concerned about Gohan's safety, but Goten's and Videl's as well. They are his only true friends in the world.

He smiles at the demi-saiyan in his arms, an attempt to help comfort him. "Hey there Goten. Don't you worry, my sister and I will protect your daddy for you alright?"

Goten nods vigorously, confident in his sensei. He's seen firsthand how strong his adoptive uncle is and he knows that he will be able to protect his daddy well. "Yep! I'm so glad you're here!"

"That's good to hear Goten, but I need you to go back to Videl for me so she can protect you and so I can protect your daddy."

Goten hesitates, but eventually nods, noticing that Dabura is starting to rise to his feet once more. "Okay. Kick his butt Uncle!" he shouts, glaring at the demon before quickly running over to Videl and once again jumping in her arms. The girl welcomes the demi-saiyan, smiling weakly at the bio-android who in turn smirks back at her before turning his attention to Dabura. It is also at that moment when Eighteen returns to the ring, having successfully delivered Trunks to his mother, both of whom are now out of the stadium. The arena is now deserted, barring the five in the ring, Gohan on the side of it, and Kibito in the rubble pile.

Videl makes a move to jump off of the ring and run to the fighter's lounge where she can watch from a safe distance. Dabura, seeing this, flies over to cut her off only to be blocked by Seventeen, who punches the Demon back towards the ring where Eighteen is waiting to give him a kick of her own towards her brother. Unfortunately for her, the demon recovers quickly from the surprise attack from Seventeen and is able to evade Eighteen's kick, instead flying around the female android and landing on his feet on top of the durable tile of the finals ring.

Seventeen lands on the ring moments later next to his sister. Both androids get into their fighting stances, ready to fight for their lives against the demon. Both of them can tell that the prince is extremely strong, so they decide to double team him.

Dabura smirks at the two androids. While he is annoyed that he still hasn't been able to kill of Gohan, he relishes the challenge that these two pose. Unlike Trunks, who he could have killed in an instant, these two seem to be much stronger opponents. Judging from the few hits that they got in on him already, they could actually give him a decent fight if he didn't power up. He decides to entertain himself and fight them, despite his orders to just kill the super saiyan and go back to the ship.

Not wasting any time, Seventeen and Eighteen both rush him at once. Seventeen decides to go for Dabura's right half while Eighteen his left. Both move a lot quicker than the demon anticipated, barely able to get a block on their initial assault. He raises his right shin to block Seventeen's quick kick to the side while also raising his left arm to block Eighteen's punch to the head. The female quickly goes for his open leg but the demon is able to jump over the attempt to ground him while using his right arm to blast a kiai at Seventeen's face, sending him flying backwards.

Seventeen quickly recovers and charges back in, once again going after the demon with a vengeance. With the male android back in the mix, both of the androids are able to push the demon on the defensive, much to his annoyance. Despite the fact that it's been years since they've fought together, the twin androids still have their amazing teamwork, and with the two of them working together, Dabura struggles mightily to even put up a decent defense. After only a few minutes, he's been floored, beaten up by the brother and sister duo.

However, he is not worried in the slightest. While they have been able to get the better of him so far, he still hasn't powered up at all. He is just using his base ki to test out their abilities. It's a shame that he can't use their ki towards Majin Buu due to the fact that they are androids since they are much stronger than he thought they would be. It is while he is recovering from the latest assault by the twins that he decides to show them the true horror of the prince of the demons!

He is incredibly annoyed that he actually has to use his true power to defeat two mechanical humans, but it seems like he doesn't have a choice. He still has to kill that super saiyan, and Master Babidi would kill him if he wasn't able to do such a benign task as that in the state that he's in.

So as soon as he stands up, he smirks at the two androids, who show confusion at the action. He just got pummeled into the ground, yet he's smirking. That could only mean that he has something up his sleeve.

"Very good you two," Prince Dabura commends the mechanical duo. "You are truly worthy opponents. You've forced me to use my full power." He then gets into a power up stance. "You should feel honored. I've only had to use my full power once before."

The demon glares at both bio-androids as he starts to glow red. "But now you will die!" he shouts furiously, followed by a deafening scream as he releases all of his ki. A pale red aura surrounds the demon prince as the winds start to pick up. A cyclone of energy surrounds his form as his muscles start to grow bulkier and his veins start bulging out all over his body from the overwhelming amount of ki he is releasing. Red bolts of electricity start to fly from him and his ki continues to rise steadily.

Seventeen, not liking the look of this, tries to rush the demon, only to be sent flying back by the intense winds the prince is generating. It is mindboggling just how powerful he is becoming. His ki is quickly surpassing Perfect Cell's full power and is approaching Bojack's transformed full power! Eighteen quickly goes over to help up Seventeen, who is stunned that he could do absolutely nothing. Now both androids can only watch as this demon becomes more powerful than any villain they've ever faced.

Finally, after a few more moments, Prince Dabura's ki levels off at a level just above a full power Bojack. His appearance hasn't changed other than the fact that his already bulky muscles got even bulkier with veins popping out all over the place. It looks quite painful actually, but both Seventeen and Eighteen realize that this new demon prince will be much more formidable than before.

Dabura doesn't waste any time and goes after his opponents. While much more powerful, this form of his takes so much energy to control and he becomes much more aggressive in his powered up state. He doesn't like using it if he doesn't have to, so he likes to finish off his opponents right away when he does.

Faster than anyone can follow, he goes for Seventeen first, giving him a right hook to the cheek that the android had no chance at dodging or defending in any way. He takes the full brunt of the blow, sending him sailing through the air and crashing into the rubble pile where Kibito is buried. The demon then goes after Eighteen, feigning a left jab as well as a right hook and instead opting for the kick to the shins. This throws the female android off balance and forces her to fall backwards. Instead of landing on the tile of the ring however, the demon prince has the presence of mind to kick her in the back, sending her soring into the air at a fast pace.

Dabura isn't finished on his assault however. Eighteen is able to recover herself in midair and blocks upwards, expecting the demon to try and appear above her to smash her into the ground. However, it seems as if he expected her to react in such a manner and instead of appearing above the female, he stays below her and takes advantage of her undefended back. He head butts the android, both of his horns stabbing into her flesh, both at such an angle on his head that they end up rupturing both of her kidneys.

Eighteen lets out a scream of pain as the demon flicks his head to the side to dislodge her, sending her tumbling back towards the ring. Fortunately, Seventeen is able to recover from Dabura's initial assault and catches his sister before she falls too far. He looks on in horror as he retreats back to the ring, only to see the prince of the demons himself waiting for him there.

Seventeen sets his sister on her feet, and she stumbles a few painful a few steps before collapsing in pain. She doesn't scream, much to her credit, but she doesn't appear to be able to fight in her condition. Being stabbed does that to someone, just look at Gohan. Seventeen stands protectively in front of his sister and glares at Prince Dabura. The demon is pulsating power with his pale red aura still warping around him.

Dabura lets off a bone chilling chuckle. "Now that I've taken care of your sister, it's your turn pretty boy. And after you fall, that super saiyan is next."

Before Seventeen is able to even process that statement, the demon prince charges the bio-android once more. Seventeen can only gape as Dabura gives him a powerful uppercut and sends him flying backwards again. He is able to recover fast enough however to block the demons next strike, and he manages to put up some semblance of a defense before the demon's power just overwhelms him and he ends up in the grass outside of the ring.

As he's sprawled out, the demon stomps on his right arm, snapping it in half and sending waves of pain towards the android. Seventeen screams out in agony as Dabura stomps on him again, this time on the stomach. He is forced to cough out blood as his stomach starts to hemorrhage from the force of the blow.

Eventually, the demon lets up on the bio-android. Seventeen is barely conscious at this point as the pain is starting to become too much to bear. He however is able to look up at the demon fearfully as said demon smirks maliciously at him.

"I want you to see me kill your friend before I kill you as well," he states sadistically. He quickly moves to the right, dodging a sneak attack from Eighteen, and instead gives her a hard jab to the head, concussing her and knocking her out at the same time. She falls into a heap right next to her brother. "Tsk tsk," the demon adds. "You'd think she'd know that I'm invincible now. Ah well, it's too bad that she won't get to witness the demise of the super saiyan, but at least you can still watch!"

Seventeen tries to protest, but finds that he can't even move. His arm his killing him, not to mention that he's spitting up waves of blood thanks to his stomach. He can only look on in horror and regret as Dabura makes his way over to Gohan, who lost too much ki when he was drained to recover from the coma that he's in at the moment. The android can't help but feel like he failed him. He failed to protect the one who changed his life in such a positive way.

Videl and Goten watch in horror from the fighters lounge as Prince Dabura starts forming a powerful ki blast in his hand, ready to end Gohan's existence in the mortal plane. The chibi demi-saiyan starts to struggle in Videl's arms as he desperately tries to escape her embrace. He just witnessed his sensei and his sister get brutally defeated and now the evil man is going after is daddy again! He doesn't care if he doesn't stand a chance against this enemy. His daddy is everything to him! If he died, he doesn't know what he would do!

Every time the chibi needed him, Gohan has always been there. When he got lost in the woods back when they first moved to their new house, Gohan was able to find him before the saber tooth tiger was able to eat him. Whenever he was scared from one of his nightmares, his daddy was always there to comfort him and rid him of all of the bad thoughts. When Dende had shown him that tragic day when Raditz arrived on Earth using the Pendulum Room, Gohan was there to make everything better.

His daddy was the one who raised him; he fed him when he was hungry; he took care of him when he was sick; he chased the monsters away from under his bed; he played with him when he was bored. His daddy is the one who makes him the happiest by just being there, and if he were to lose such an amazing person in his life, he would never be the same.

So he desperately forces his way out of his captor's arms and charges the demon prince. He will _not _let his daddy die!

However he freezes in his tracks when a whole new presence makes itself known.

Dabura is about to unleash his ki blast on Gohan when he is struck in the back with a ki blast from someone else. He growls in frustration. This is the third time that someone has distracted him from finishing his task that he was set out to do. He turns towards the perpetrator only for his eyes to widen in pure shock. He looks back at the unconscious man on the ground and then back to the man in the air, doing a double take just to be sure he's seeing things correctly.

Seventeen's eyes bulge out of their sockets as he looks at the man that just arrived. He completely forgot that he was even here, although his timing couldn't have been better. He smiles at the man before finally falling into the land of unconsciousness.

Videl can only gape at the man as she makes her way over to Goten and picks him up, the chibi also looking in the air in complete awe. "Daddy?" he asks, unsure of how his daddy can be in two places at once since he sees him lying on the ground unconscious as well as in the air.

Junjoubu lowers his arm that he threw the ki blast with. He has been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to attack. Now finally seems to be the right moment. He removes his sunglasses, revealing stunning onyx eyes. He also removes both of his bandanas, revealing his long, spiky raven hair as well as the rest of his face, which looks achingly similar to that of Gohan. He glares down at the demon prince, his expression showing true anger and malice towards the demon responsible for this mess.

In an instant, his hair turns a bleached blonde and spikes up even more as his eyes become teal in color. The wristband that he wears starts to spark as he gathers more power and finally shatters as a golden aura explodes around him. The Earth starts shaking and the clouds that dissipated before start to gather around him. A lightning bolt strikes his form, and his ki that is now _very_ present shoots through the roof as the man is engulfed in a vortex of winds and blue electricity starts to build around his form. His golden aura becomes so bright that it looks as if he is a second sun that got caught in a lightning storm, blinding those who aren't already blinded by the enormous winds being generated.

Eventually, the winds calm down and the glow fades, although he still has a furious golden aura around him with blue electricity crackling off of his body. His muscles have bulked up noticeably and his hair, which is now standing as straight as the long hair will allow is now a pure golden color. His eyes also have darkened to a striking turquoise color, both of which are now focused on the demon that is gaping at him. The biggest change of all though is that Junjoubu's ki level has now stabilized at a level just below that of which Gohan displayed earlier before he was attacked by Spopovich and Yamu. He hardens his gaze before shouting at the demon prince.

"Leave my dad alone!"

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

kai- god

chibi- cute child, dwarf

sensei- teacher, master


	16. Vehemence

**A/N: Hey hey! I'm back again with my first biweekly update! **

**To be perfectly honest, I'm incredibly glad that I decided to do this update schedule since this week I got no progress on chapter 16. Long story short, I had two giant exams this week (nailed both in case you were wondering) so most of my time... Okay all of my time was allocated to studying. But don't worry! Chapter 16 will be done before two weeks from now. **

**Now a few things to note about this chapter. I want you guys to remember that emotions are running high for everyone here and so people may be OOC I because of this. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I got a very good amount again (8). I really don't expect anyone to review so this expression of support is very encouraging. I love you guys!**

**Now on to Chapter 15! Fun fact about this chapter: the title was inspired by my pharmacotherapy professor. He used the word to describe how hew should celebrate national kidney day (March 13, 2014; celebrate with vehemence!). **

* * *

Chapter 15: Vehemence

~Finals Ring, Main Arena, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island, Age 772~

_Did he just say 'dad!?' _

Videl can only stare wide eyed at Junjoubu, who is now apparently a super saiyan 2. Things are seriously moving so fast for her right now that her brain is starting to shut down. First she finds out that the highest kai in the entire universe is a small purple skinned alien, and that he was actually at the Tenkaichi Budokai. Then, two guys that looked to be on way too many steroids attacked her supposedly indestructible best friend and love interest, attempting to steal his ki for their master who is somehow exerting magical control over their minds. After that, everyone randomly takes off after the two muscle head freaks while an actual demon from Hell appears out of nowhere and tries to kill Gohan, only to be stopped by another chibi demi-saiyan that she's only heard stories about. Then the next thing she knows, her new close friend and his bio-android sister fight the demon only to be brutally defeated.

But this new development _definitely_ takes the cake.

There is no way that Junjoubu could be Gohan's kid. He is as old as the demi-saiyan is! However, as she continues to look on, she can definitely see a resemblance, not to mention the fact that he's indeed an ascended super saiyan. Throw in the way he acted throughout the time that she's seen him, and the comment makes sense…

If Gohan wasn't sixteen years old that is!

She still can't wrap her head around that fact. She decides that yes, that teenager in the sky is Gohan's son. The resemblance in both appearance and personality is just too uncanny for him not to be. However, it still makes no sense to her how he could be the same age as the man that she loves. It's like he traveled in time or som–

And that's when it hits her.

She knows _exactly_ who that is! The man in the sky is none other than Gohan's son from the future.

Goken.

This revelation makes complete sense to her now; the reason she couldn't tell the difference when she first arrived at the tournament; the reason he seemed to get along so well with Gohan despite the fact that they had only just met; the reason why people like Piccolo and Goku, who know Gohan better than anyone else, thought that he was Gohan; it all makes sense! Goken was probably trying to hide under cover, and hearing that his father was a super hero in this timeline named 'Junjoubu,' he decided to dress up like him and try and make everyone believe he was actually the super hero. Of course he probably didn't anticipate that Gohan would try and enter as Junjoubu, as well as the fact that he was hiding from everyone, so he ended up playing the role of doppelganger instead.

Goken is looking down at the demon prince with hate in his eyes. Prince Dabura is the cause of so much pain in his life that he just can't help but hate the man. Unlike his father, Goken doesn't have complete control of the second super saiyan transformation. In fact, it's probably a miracle that he has as much control as he does at this moment since he only was able to finally obtain this form a month ago. Still, his emotions are running very high right now after everything he just witnessed; despite his outward appearance of control, he is actually absolutely livid at what transpired.

It took the Mirai teen everything he had to not attack Spopovich and Yamu when they were draining his father's ki. After all, this was his dad that they were attacking! The same dad that took him in when they first came to this timeline with Uncle Trunks; the same dad that spent time with both him and his sister whenever he could; the same dad that loved him so much that he threw his own life away to save his. It was near impossible for him to just watch as that same dad of his was in such pain and agony that he was literally screaming at the top of his lungs. But he held back because he knew that it was vital that this part stayed the same.

Then he saw exactly what he expected to. As the Supreme Kai left with the other Z-warriors, Dabura entered the scene. The demi-saiyan knew what the demon's plan was: to kill off his dad while he had the chance. Before Kibito even had the opportunity to heal his father, the demon took out the deity. Then, after turning the other humans into stone and shattering them, he went after his father. Originally, this was when he was planning to step in, but then he froze as he saw the chibi version of his Uncle Trunks step in instead.

He honestly was so caught up in seeing his uncle for the first time in so long that he lost sight of what he was doing for a moment. However, his lapse was short as it was ended by the two bio-androids jumping in and flooring Dabura, Seventeen helping his dad while Eighteen, his uncle. He admits that he tensed up from seeing them again, but as he saw them helping out the two most important men in his life, he realized that they weren't the same androids that terrorized his timeline. He had heard that both his grandfather and his father were known for giving enemies forgiveness when others wouldn't, but he saw for himself the fruits of that forgiveness in Seventeen and Eighteen of this timeline.

However, when both androids started fighting the demon prince he became worried. He knew that despite their early showing of dominance that they didn't stand a chance against him. All Dabura had to do is power up.

And that's exactly what happened.

He admits that a part of him was glad to see Seventeen and Eighteen get beaten up. It will take a very long time for him to ever forgive them completely for what their counterparts did in his timeline. But that part of him was very small and insignificant compared to his much bigger heart that grew concerned. They were risking their lives to protect not only his father, but his mother and uncle as well. But what finally forced him to interfere was when the prince of all demons went after his father once more; that's what caused him to snap.

So it comes as no surprise that Goken wants nothing less than to send this demon to Other World. This is a very uncharacteristic thought from the Mirai demi-saiyan, but with everything the demon has done it is understandable. Not only that, but the demon is pure evil, as well as a pawn in the reincarnation of the biggest monster in the entire universe. He needs to be taken out.

And Goken plans on doing exactly that.

Goken immediately moves faster than anything that anyone would be able to see towards the demon. Before Dabura even has a chance to move his gaze, he feels an overwhelming amount of pain in his abdomen. He looks down and his eyes widen in horror as he sees that there is a gigantic hole in his stomach. Then, before Dabura even has a chance to scream out in pain, he is silenced permanently as his head is blown off by an extremely powerful ki blast, which ends up engulfing his entire form, disintegrating every last trace of his being from existence.

The teen demi-saiyan from the future takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes to relax himself. Unlike Gohan, who had a tendency to play with his opponents when enraged out of control, Goken doesn't fall under that spell, so he quickly finishes off opponents that are way beneath him. But while killing Prince Dabura has a certain level of satisfaction for him, the part of him that cherishes life and absolutely _hates_ killing is larger in him, and he still finds himself disgusted at what he had to do. He knows that he was behooved to end the demon's life, and that by ending it he saved countless others, but he still doesn't like the feeling of taking someone's life, even an evil one.

However, that disappointment is short-lived as he looks at the reactions of his mother and Uncle Goten. He can't help but grin as he sees them looking on in awe. They both are probably still processing what just happened. He quickly powers down back to his base form and the sun comes out once again since his power isn't generating so much heat.

Both Videl and Goten don't know what to make of the situation. One minute, Gohan is about to get annihilated by Dabura and then the next the demon is completely gone, not a trace of him remaining. Goten is the first to process the information, and he quickly breaks out into a face-splitting grin. He jumps out of the stunned Videl's arms and flies over to his future nephew, incredibly happy that the mean man is gone. Thankfully Goken's actions in killing the demon were so fast that Goten didn't even see the gory way that he died, just that he's not there anymore.

The chibi flies right into the waiting arms of Goken, hugging the man with all of his might. He just saved his daddy, and that deserves all of the affection and praise that he can give. The teen quickly returns the hug enthusiastically, while carefully analyzing his uncle.

He has definitely grown since the last time he was here. He remembers holding Goten as an infant and now he's almost five years old! Yet it seems that he still holds the same innocence and happiness that he had as an infant, something that makes Goken smile. His father must have done a good job raising the little guy.

Goken was shocked when he found out that his father had run away from everyone else, taking Goten with him to raise on his own. He had only just been in this timeline for not even an hour when he overheard the conversation that Piccolo and Goku had in private when Piccolo explained everything to his grandfather.

It really came as no surprise to Goken however that he was able to raise Goten incredibly well on his own. He saw firsthand how great of a dad his father was when he was here the first time around. Back then, Gohan was only eleven, but he had treated both him and his sister like they were his own children, showing great parenting skills that normally would be unheard of for someone his age. He found out that his father was as awesome and amazing as Uncle Trunks had said, and came to love him as his own father, even if he's from a different timeline.

Judging from Goten's vehement reaction to Dabura's defeat, he concludes that his chibi uncle sees his father the same way. Obviously Goten loves Gohan a lot, and it makes him happy to see that his father really made an impression on the chibi.

Goten interrupts the future teen's thoughts by beaming up at him, unshed tears in his big, expressive onyx orbs. "Thank you so very much for saving my daddy!" he sincerely thanks Goken, raw emotion in his voice. "I don't know what I would do without him…" he trails off, sniffling a bit while trying to hold back tears. Just the thought of how close his dad came to dying makes him tear up.

Goken reacts by hugging the chibi once again. "I'm glad that I could help. After all, he is _my_ daddy too!"

This causes Goten's pupils to dilate, eyes widening in wonder and curiosity. "He's your daddy too?!" he shouts out, all prior sadness gone from his voice. "Is that why you feel like him and look like him?"

Goken smiles down at his chibi uncle in his arms and nods affirmatively. "Yep. That's right Goten."

Goten's eyes glaze over in awe. "Wow! That's so cool!" he replies energetically. His attitude quickly switches to one of confusion though as he thinks of something that doesn't make sense. "Wait, if we both have the same daddy, how come I never met you before?"

"I can answer that one Goten," another voice replies from behind. Goken stiffens a bit before relaxing and turning himself and his uncle towards his future mother, who at this point figured out what transpired. Videl quickly makes her way to the duo before continuing where she left off. "Do you remember your daddy's stories about the time travelers from the future?"

Goten twists his face into a thoughtful expression, obviously thinking very deeply on the subject before his eyes widen slightly as a look of understanding crosses his face. "Oh yeah! He told me stories about how his kids came from the future with this guy named Trunks and they helped him defeat the Bojack monster! Is that the one Ane?"

Videl nods approvingly at the young chibi. "That's right Goten," she answers, causing Goken's eyes to widen significantly. He had no idea that his mother knew everything about his travels here before, not to mention that she apparently knows Goten so well that he calls her his big sister. This is definitely a new development that he didn't foresee, and it makes him concealing the fact that she is actually his biological mother that much more crucial. He doesn't want to risk his existence in this timeline by telling her.

Oblivious to Goken's surprise, Videl smiles at the teen from the future, who can't help but smile in return. "Well Goten," she continues, "You are currently in the arms of one of those kids from the future, his youngest son Goken!" she has to stifle a laugh as she sees Goten shoot his gaze back up to Goken, now looking at the teen with an expression of adoration and amazement.

"WOW!" he shouts at the top of his lungs. "That's so cool!" He then hugs the man again. Once he pulls back he beams up at him. "So does that make you my oniisan?" he suddenly asks.

Goken debates what to tell the chibi in his head. He knows that in actuality, he is the chibi's nephew, and that Goten is actually Gohan's brother. However, it seems as if Goten still believes that Goken's father is his as well, and his dad probably has a reason for not telling the chibi the truth yet. So after a few moments of debate, he ends up shaking his head negatively. "Actually Goten, I would be your otoutosan."

This explanation makes Goten confused again. "But you look older than me," he states. He then tilts his head to the side cutely. "Wouldn't that make you my oniisan?"

Goken has to stifle a chuckle of his own before answering his confused chibi uncle. "Well it's true that I am older than you at the moment, but remember that I am from the future. In my timeline, you're older than me by a good twelve years. So that would make you _my _oniisan."

The chibi's big onyx orbs widen once again in understanding before a big grin crosses his face. "Cool!" he replies. Goten is enthused at having a little brother, even if he's as old as his daddy at the moment. "Can I call you otouto then?"

The future demi-saiyan grins at Goten. "Sure, as long as you don't mind me calling you 'ani'"

Goten claps his hands happily. "Yeah! That would be _so_ cool!"

As the exchange between the two Son boys goes on, Videl looks back over at Gohan. He seems to be recovering rather nicely as the gash in his side from whatever stabbed him seems to have closed up. He still is unconscious, probably due to the low amount of ki that he has at the moment, but he seems to be on the road to recovery. She walks over to him and kneels down over him, sighing worriedly. Despite the fact that he seems to be getting better, he still is in bad shape and she can't stand to see her best friend so vulnerable like this.

Eventually, Goten notices Videl is not paying attention to him anymore and suddenly remembers that his daddy is still hurt! He quickly jumps out of Goken's arms and runs over to Videl, who is right by Gohan. His expression turns to one of sadness as he looks at his unconscious daddy, blood all over his Junjoubu outfit.

"Will daddy be okay?" the chibi asks his adoptive sister, eyes shining with some unshed tears. Now that the excitement of meeting another one of his bedtime story heroes has worn off, he is extremely concerned with his daddy's well-being.

Videl smiles at the chibi demi-saiyan, opening her arms for him to jump into, which he gladly does. "He's going to be fine Goten," she answers reassuringly and confident. "He's just sleeping at the moment since he lost a lot of energy. "

"She's right Goten," Goken adds, now walking up to the duo and hugging them both from Videl's front. He knows that they both need the comfort that Gohan will be alright and honestly, he needs their comfort as well. Despite the fact that the worst seems to be in the past for Gohan, he still is his dad, and he's just as worried as they are.

After a few moments, where all three draw comfort from each other's embraces, they let go. Goten jumps out of Videl's arms and slowly makes his way to his daddy. He trembles a bit before jumping on top of his unconscious form and giving him a hug, burying his face in the older man's neck. Then, remembering how his daddy would always make him feel better after he got hurt, he kisses Gohan's cheek. "Get better soon daddy…" he mumbles quietly, laying his head back on the older man's chest. He finds himself comforted by his daddy's heartbeat and slowly drifts off into a dreamless slumber, the events of the day finally wearing him out.

Goken looks on at his uncle with a sad smile. The kid is so attached to Gohan, and if there was any question before if he loved him at all, then there is none anymore. It is completely obvious that Goten cherishes his daddy immensely.

Videl is used to the amount of affection that Goten shows Gohan since she sees it every day, so instead she focuses her attention on Goken. Now that everything is slowing down, she finds herself flooded with questions. Why did he come here? How did he know that Dabura would attack? What happened in his timeline to trigger a trip back to the past? How does he know who she is?

However, none of these are the question she asks. Instead, she ends up asking: "Where is your sister?"

Goken tenses noticeably at the question as he turns towards Videl. He frowns slightly at the topic and scratches the back of his head nervously. "She stayed back in my timeline. I came here alone."

Videl nods at the information, although it does puzzle her a bit. She expresses her concern. "Why didn't she come with you?"

Now Goken starts to get even more nervous. "It's really a complicated story, and I don't really have time to get into it right now, but I promise you that you'll find out soon." It is at this moment that he gets a good look at his mother and he just now realizes why Bulma wanted him to go back instead of his sister.

Just like Goken, who when he was younger looked pretty much identical to his grandfather but now resembles his father much more closely, Pan, who strongly resembled her grandmother earlier, now, he notices, looks almost exactly like the teenage girl standing in front of him. She even cut her hair short like Videl did! The only real difference between the two of them now is that Pan inherited her father's onyx eyes while Videl's are a distinctive amethyst color.

Needless to say, it would have been pretty obvious to everyone who her mother was. So it was determined to be safer for Goken to go back in time since everyone already knew that Gohan was his father anyways.

Before Videl can ask any more questions however, Goken feels a ki start to rise in the near vicinity. He recognizes the ki after a few seconds and smiles widely, realizing that Kibito has finally come to. Right on cue, the red skinned deity makes his way out of the rubble, his clothes tattered a bit, but otherwise no worse for wear. Immediately his eyes widen as he sees Goken and Videl along with Goten sprawled on top of an unconscious Gohan as well as the two unconscious and beat up forms of the two bio-androids that fought the demon valiantly.

It is then that he also realizes that Dabura is nowhere to be found!

Kibito is stunned at this latest development. According to his senses, the only two people with enough power to defeat Dabura would have been Gohan or his father Goku, and Gohan is knocked out right in front of him and Goku is nowhere to be seen, off with his master to take out Babidi. He does a quick ki scan of the planet to see where Goku is since he is really the only explanation that he can have for the disappearance of Prince Dabura. Thanks to his connection that he shares with the Supreme Kai, he is able to deduce where his master is, and a certain range around him, despite the fact that the area seems to be blocked off magically.

And his eyes suddenly widen in horror at what he feels. There's no way! It should be impossible!

How did this happen?!

Kibito moves with a great urgency towards Gohan, planning on healing him as fast as possible. Time is of the essence if what he felt is what is truly going on, and the demi-saiyan is the only one with any sort of chance against this brand new threat.

"I don't know how Prince Dabura was defeated, but it doesn't matter right now anyways," he states, catching Videl completely off guard and making her jump at the new presence. She turns her attention quickly back to the red deity as he continues. "I must heal Gohan immediately and quickly take him with me to stop this new threat. It appears the situation has only gotten worse since this battle started."

Goken only nods at Kibito, knowing what he is going to do. He hastily picks up Goten off of Gohan's chest, making sure that he doesn't wake up. Luckily for Goken, his ki signature is so similar to Gohan's that despite the fact that Goten can't sense ki too well yet, the chibi seems to know it as the same comforting signature as his daddy's, so he doesn't even stir in his sleep, only snuggling into Goken.

Once the chibi is taken care of, Kibito places his right hand on Gohan's chest and grunts. Suddenly, a golden glow starts to surround Gohan's form and his wounds immediately start to heal over even more. His skin also becomes less pale and more of the natural peach complexion that he normally has. His ki starts to return to normal as the demi-saiyan starts to stir from his unconscious rest.

Goken quickly hands Goten off to Videl. The chibi whimpers a bit from the change, but subconsciously recognizes Videl's ki and relaxes. While she may not be Gohan (or Goken for that matter), the chibi demi-saiyan takes enough comfort from Videl that he doesn't wake up and continues to sleep, which is something that he wouldn't do if given to anyone else.

"Videl, I'm going with my dad when he gets up," Goken states, his voice laced with seriousness. "Kibito has special sensing abilities thanks to him being the assistant to the Supreme Kai. If he senses something dangerous, then it must be bad. The wizard that was controlling those two that attacked my father as well as that demon is very powerful and he must be doing something really horrible if it has Kibito so nervous."

He then looks Videl dead in the eye, showing just how dire the situation actually is through his expression. "Take Goten and get away from here," he orders his future mother. "And whatever you do, _don't _let him come after us! Don't worry, I will make sure that my dad will come back alive."

The demi-saiyan from the future is an expert when it comes to reading someone's emotions and feelings. He could tell from watching them from afar as well as her reactions to everything that happened within the last hour or so that Videl really likes Gohan a lot, a development that elates him. He also figures that if she knows all about his other trip to the past that she knows all about Gohan's past as well. He also assumes from the ki inhibiting wristband that she's wearing that she has a ki strong enough to be sensed by the other Z-fighters, a sign of ki manipulation training. Since she practically knows all of this already, he doesn't need to explain everything to her.

Videl's expression turns fearful before looking back at the Mirai demi-saiyan fiercely. "Do you promise that you'll both make it back alive?"

Goken gives her a determined smile. "I promise on my life!" he declares boldly.

Videl smirks. "Alright then, go get 'em tiger."

Goken gives her a thumbs up and closes in to hug her, being careful not to make Goten stir. After they break their embrace, Videl takes one last longing look at Gohan, silently wishing him good luck before taking to the air with a sleeping Goten in her arms, heading towards the 987 South District. Meanwhile, Goken turns back to Gohan and Kibito, now suddenly excited to finally be able to see his dad for real again.

Gohan groans as he grabs his head and sits up. He opens his eyes only to shut them at the brightness of the sunlight that ends up giving him a headache. After a few moments of blinking and getting used to the amount of light, he finally stands up.

And his eyes widen immensely at what he feels.

Immediately, he turns around to face Goken and he finally sees the face behind the Junjoubu mask. For a few moments he is paralyzed, too stunned by his mere presence. After a little lapse in time however, he breaks into a face splitting grin.

His son is back from the future!

"Goken!" Gohan suddenly shouts out elated, rushing his son and crashing into him with a bone crushing embrace. He can't believe it! He thought he would never see Goken again until he was actually born in this timeline. He is so glad that he can see him again!

Goken hugs his father back with just as much emotion. He had to keep himself from tearing up at the feeling of his dad's ki once he was revived, and now this hug is nearly pushing him over the edge. Happy doesn't even come close to how he feels about being in his dad's arms once again. Going back to his own time line was one of the hardest things he ever had to do since it was impossible for him to leave his dad behind. He really missed his father so much, and being with him now is overwhelming.

As they finally pull apart, Gohan wipes a few tears of his own that fell out and grins back at his biological son from the future. He studies him from top to bottom and can't help but chuckle a bit. "Man! No wonder Piccolo thought you were me! It's like I'm looking into a mirror!"

This causes Goken to chuckle as well. "Yeah, and Grandpa actually insisted that I was you, even after I denied it five different times. I basically had to shout at him that I wasn't you until he finally understood."

Gohan flinches at the mention of his father. He still has no clue how he's going to act around him when he confronts him. He knows that he _will_ confront him, but he doesn't know how soon that will be. However, he breaks out of his little lapse at the rest of Goken's sentence, just incredibly happy that his son from the Mirai timeline is back. He grins at him once more. "I missed you so much Goken…"

"I missed you too dad…" Goken responds vehemently. "I'm so glad I got to see you again."

Kibito looks on at the reunion with impatience. As he's waiting though, he's finally able to solve the mystery of how Prince Dabura was killed when he feels the true depths of Goken's ki. According to his senses, the teen from the future is able to make the ascension to super saiyan 2, although his senses aren't able to tell him just how much stronger he is after that, but he knows that that amount of power would have been able to take out the demon prince easily.

At first, Kibito thought that Goken was Gohan's twin brother, and that they just haven't seen each other for a long time. After all, that would be the best explanation for why he looks almost identical to the demi-saiyan from the present, not to mention that their kis are as close to identical as you can get without being the same person. However, if this were actually the case, then his master would have been able to deduce the mystery warrior earlier from his ki. Then, as he continues to watch the exchange between father and son, he finally is able to deduce that Goken is Gohan's son by the way they are addressing each other. That would also be the only other possible explanation for their clone-like appearances and kis.

As much as the deity has figured out though, there are just as many questions. If he is Gohan's son, how is he the same age as his father? And better yet, how come his master couldn't deduce who he was from his ki when he has knowledge of every ki in the universe? After a thorough thought process, the only partially sane conclusion that he can come up with is that Goken was somehow able to travel back in time from the future. That's the only way he could possibly explain how his master couldn't identify the teen, as he doesn't exist in this timeline yet.

However, this conclusion just leads to more questions for him. How did Goken come back, and why did he come back? Apparently, judging by the emotional reunion between the two, he had come back before. Did he come back just to visit his father, or was there something more serious? Did he come back to warn the fighters of this timeline of another threat?

Did he know that Dabura would be here?

Kibito puts these thoughts to the back of his mind. Right now he needs to help his master before Majin Buu is released, so every second is crucial. "Ahem!" he interrupts the two, snapping both out of their content dazes and turning their attention to the big red skinned deity. "If you two don't mind, time is of the essence, so we should get going as soon as possible."

After the interruption, Gohan is finally able to see the extent of what happened while he was out. The last thing he remembers is getting paralyzed then stabbed in the gut by the two steroid abusing men. Apparently they are still in the finals ring, but the whole arena surrounding it is now deserted. He also notices that Videl and Goten aren't present, but as he extends his senses, he can feel Goten's steady ki heading back to their home, the low level it's at suggesting to him that the chibi is sleeping, making Gohan believe that Videl is flying him home. As he continues to look around, he notices that there are two bodies sprawled out on the grass outside of the ring.

And Gohan's eyes widen in horror when he realizes who those two actually are.

He immediately runs over to the bio-android twins, ignoring Kibito's protests. He checks them both and makes sure that they are only knocked out before doing a thorough examination of their bodies to see the extent of their injuries. Eighteen seems to be in really bad shape, the blood stains in the grass coming from her sides suggesting that she has open wounds in her back. He fears that from where the stains are in relative to her body that she got stabbed in her kidneys. If that's the case, she won't be able to live long without either a full kidney replacement, a senzu, or Dende's healing.

He then inspects Seventeen, and the sight is particularly gruesome. There is so much blood! Apparently he was coughing up blood by the pint, suggesting some major hemorrhaging, most likely derived from his abdomen. There must have been some serious trauma caused to his abdominal organs. He also doesn't fail to notice that Seventeen's right arm appears to be shattered right below his humerus. Again, he probably won't survive long without some immediate medical attention.

He finds himself getting angry at the site. Who could have done this!? Was it that Kibito guy!? It couldn't have been Yamu or Spopovich. They weren't strong enough to take out Videl, let along both Seventeen and Eighteen. Whoever it was definitely was into cruel punishment if he didn't kill them with these types of injuries.

And Gohan is definitely going to make them pay.

"It was the prince of the demons, Dabura, who did that to them," Goken suddenly announces, startling Gohan, who turns his attention to his son. He is taken aback by the amount of coldness radiating off of the Mirai teen as he talks about what transpired. "He was about to vaporize you with a ki blast when the two of them stepped in. They fought him valiantly, but ended up like you see them now.

"After that, I was able to kill him after I transformed. Once Kibito regained consciousness from fighting Dabura before, he healed you," Goken finishes, leaving out the detail that Videl and Goten were also involved in all of this. He doesn't want to make his dad worry more than he has to at the moment. He definitely wouldn't take that news too well.

Gohan accepts his son's explanation right away, nodding at the future teen and calming down significantly. Goken already took care of whoever did this, instead replacing the anger with pride in his son. "I guess that would explain it," he answers. He then turns his attention to Kibito, who looks irritated at the moment. "Kibito, since you healed me, why don't you heal them as well."

One of the veins in the red skinned deity's temple throbs at the request. He growls at Gohan. "We don't have time! We must make haste before Babidi gathers enough ki!"

The demi-saiyan from the present's eyes narrow at Kibito. "Let's get one thing straight here! Seventeen is a good friend of mine, and Eighteen has made up for her crimes. If they both aren't treated right away, they will both die, and I will _not _let that happen. If you don't want to heal them, fine. I'll use instant transmission to go to the Lookout and get Dende, but I am not going anywhere until they are fully healthy."

This makes Kibito furious. How _dare_ this mere mortal defy _him_, the assistant to the Supreme Kai! He has jurisdiction over even the Grand Kai, and this mere demi-saiyan is defying him? How preposterous! However, he knows that he won't be able to force Gohan to go: he's fartoo powerful for that. So in the end, the deity huffs in frustration, but walks over to the twin androids and starts healing Seventeen.

Gohan smirks at the sight. _That's what I thought!_ he internally gloats before turning back to his son. "You know about this situation a lot better than I do, so tell me. What does Kibito want us to do?"

Goken looks over at his father seriously. "Well dad," he starts. "You know how I said that the demon prince attacked here after you got attacked by Yamu and Spopovich? Well, he was controlled by an evil wizard and his goal is to revive a monster called Majin Buu."

"Majin Buu?" Gohan repeats.

"Yes. Now in order to release Buu, Babidi needs a ton of ki. Both Yamu and Spopovich were also controlled by Babidi's magic, and they collected your ki to bring back to Babidi. Shin and Kibito's plan was to follow them to Babidi and kill him before he could use that ki to aid in Buu's release, but in order to do that they needed to allow those two to collect your ki first."

"So both Shin and Kibito planned all of this?" Gohan asks.

"Well most of it yes," Goken replies. "They didn't expect Babidi to send Prince Dabura to this tournament to take you out after you were drained of ki." For some reason, Goken tenses up after that statement. He had said that with some contempt against Shin and Kibito, but as soon as it's there it's gone. Gohan didn't fail to miss it, but he decides to find out what that was about later.

"They only expected his two henchmen to collect their ki and head off, with Kibito healing you after that happened," the teen from the future continues. "It was a good thing I was here, otherwise Dabura would have most likely killed you along with everyone else here."

Gohan smiles at Goken with pride in his son. He's proud of his son's ability to save people. "Goken, you don't know how proud that makes me to hear that."

The future teen blushes at the compliment, but continues with his explanation. "Thanks dad, but that's not everything. Prince Dabura wasn't the strongest one Babidi has under control. He also has his father, King Dabura, and he is _much _more powerful than his son. The reason Kibito is so urgent to go is because King Dabura is so powerful that not even Grandpa stands a chance against him, even as a super saiyan 2! Only you would have enough power to beat him."

Gohan's eyes widen at that statement. King Dabura is really _that_ powerful? None of their enemies has ever come close to a super saiyan 2, even in it lowest levels, yet this guy sounds like Gohan would actually have to go all out against him. This makes a part of him nervous, but it also makes a bigger part of him excited at the prospect of a great fight where he can test his true limits. Ever since his merger with his saiyan side, he has been dying for this type of battle!

He only wishes it didn't have to be an enemy that is threatening to take over the world.

Gohan nods at his son seriously. "Alright, it looks like we need to go soon then." He quickly looks over to Kibito and sees that he has healed Seventeen, and is now healing Eighteen. Gohan quickly turns back to Goken. "When they both wake up, tell them to protect Videl and Goten and take them with them to the Lookout, along with all of the others. I am going to quickly get them and say goodbye."

Goken nods. "Alright dad. Hurry. I don't want to sound too much like Kibito, but we really need to leave as soon as possible."

The teen father chuckles at his son's statement. "Alright, will do." He quickly puts two fingers to his forehead and focuses on Goten's ki before disappearing into thin air.

* * *

~984 South District~

Videl is flying toward Gohan and Goten's home, carrying the chibi demi-saiyan securely in her arms. She hasn't really been paying too much attention to her surroundings, only taking a route that she's come to memorize over that last few months. Instead her thoughts are on a certain demi-saiyan that has captured her heart through and through.

She's really concerned for Gohan. According to his son from the future, once he gets healed by that Kibito guy, they are both going to go fight the wizard that was responsible for this whole mess. She knows how powerful Gohan is and she had just witnessed his son's power as well, so she knows that they will most likely be fine.

However, she also remembers Gohan getting stabbed and drained of his ki, and being able to do absolutely nothing while screaming out in pain. That is an image she will never forget. He might be the strongest person in the universe, but in that instant, he was taken out by those two guys that she could have beaten–one of which she already _had_ beaten–thanks to the magic of this wizard.

This is what scares her most out of everything. The magic. If this wizard is powerful enough to control people and make Gohan look like a trapped puppy, then what will happen when he finally confronts him? Will he take over Gohan as well?

No! Videl refuses to believe that Gohan would allow himself to be taken over. He is too headstrong for that. She knows that Gohan has an incredible amount of mental control thanks to the fact that he was able to merge his saiyan side with his more human one. No, he wouldn't be taken over.

Still though, this wizard seems to be incredibly powerful. She really doesn't want to lose her love. She just found out at the tournament that she truly loves him! It would be devastating to her if he were to die. And she doesn't even want to think of how Goten would react. She really wishes that she could see Gohan again, just one more time so she can at least say goodbye to him before he leaves.

As if granting her final request, Gohan suddenly pops into existence right in front of her and Goten. She shrieks in surprise, stopping herself just in time not to crash into the teen demi-saiyan. She glares fiercely at him for a moment before she realizes just exactly who it is in front of her and her anger quickly turns to insurmountable relief.

Gohan is here, right in front of her.

Tears immediately start to well up in her eyes. Normally she prides herself on being able to keep her emotions in check and usually isn't this emotionally unstable, but she has been through a ton in the past hour and half, so her uncharacteristic tears in this case are expected. Right when she was thinking that she may never see her best friend and true love again, he pops up out of nowhere. It's just too much at one time. Videl would hug Gohan with all of her might, but she is carrying Goten and doesn't want to drop him, so instead she does something that surprises the both of them immensely.

She presses her lips against his.

The kiss is the first one that the two have ever shared, and the significance it holds is more that words can describe. It is brief, both wishing it could have gone on longer, but the short display of highest affection holds the emotion and passion that the situation at hand brought with it. Everything is understood between the two teens; the fear and subsequent relief that Videl felt at seeing Gohan again; the concern and comfort that Gohan felt from being in her presence; the undeniable love that is mutual between the both of them.

Now sandwiched between the two teenagers, Goten amazingly doesn't stir in his sleep. He does however subconsciously smile, feeling the strong, warm emotions from his daddy, which are even stronger since he is so close to him.

Videl immediately backs away after her spontaneous move, now blushing furiously. She can't believe that she just did that! Her emotions have been playing with her too much so she didn't even think of it. Yet she is so glad that she did. Not only did she finally get to reveal her feelings toward the demi-saiyan, she also was able to tell that he feels the same way about her! It's just too good to be true!

Gohan is also blushing furiously, but he is grinning from ear to ear. He just came here to bring both her and Goten back to the finals arena and then take them to the Lookout, but he did not expect _that_! However, it felt so good when she kissed him, and so… right. It was as if it was meant to be. He only just realized his feelings for his best friend during her match, but he did not know she felt the same way. In that kiss though, he could feel everything, and he is incredibly happy at the discovery.

The demi-saiyan is the first to speak. "Videl… that was amazing!"

The girl blushes even more at that, but returns his grin. "It really was. I can't believe you feel the same way…"

Videl truly is on cloud nine right now. The man that she has been crushing on for the past three months actually likes her back! For this moment in time, she completely forgets the situation at hand with the evil wizard threatening to take over the universe. Right now she is only in a feeling of pure bliss and happiness, knowing that the man she loves returns her feelings.

Gohan closes the distance between the two of them and hugs both her and the chibi in her arms. He leans his head forward and kisses her again, this time with even more passion than before. Videl responds eagerly, returning the kiss with just as much passion before they eventually break. This time instead of blushing, they smile at each other warmly, love clearly radiating in their eyes.

Suddenly, another presence pops out of nowhere, startling both teens and making them immediately separate. Goken, who apparently was able to learn how to do instant transmission as well, looks on at his two parents with impatience. He didn't notice that they were together before, so he just crosses his arms and scowls at Gohan.

"Dad!" he addresses Gohan, not too loudly to wake Goten, but his tone shows his irritation. "I thought you were just going to bring Videl and Goten back to the tournament. Seventeen and Eighteen are already awake and we've been waiting for you for a good five minutes now."

Gohan only now remembers what he was here to do in the first place. He was so caught up in the feeling that Videl returning his feelings had given him that he forgot his mission. He turns serious, now back in gear with the situation at hand. "Right. Sorry son."

Videl looks on confused at what is going on. For one, it surprises her that Goken can instant transmit, although it really shouldn't with all that Gohan had told her about the demi-saiyan from the future. Two, she's confused at why Gohan would need to bring her back to Papaya Island with everything that is going on. And three, she becomes concerned because apparently everyone is waiting for him, meaning that he still is probably going to confront the evil wizard.

Her thoughts are interrupted however with Gohan placing a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at her love and sees the look on his face showing her the severity of the situation. She decides to not ask questions at this time and to just trust in him that he knows what he's doing. Gohan smiles at her softly before hardening his gaze once more and putting two of his fingers from his other hand on his forehead. Within a millisecond, they are back at the tournament with Goken following shortly after.

* * *

~Finals Ring, Finals Arena, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island~

As soon as Gohan gets back with Videl and Goten, Seventeen makes his way over to them all, serious expression on his face, but smiling slightly at the healthy Gohan. He was worried about the demi-saiyan, so he's extremely glad that he is alright, but right now he knows what he needs to do. "Gohan," he starts stoically. "Glad to see you alright man. Don't worry about explaining everything. Kibito and your son from the future told us everything."

"Indeed they did," a woman adds, startling Gohan who turns to look over to Eighteen. The female android is smirking at the demi-saiyan. "It's good to see you again kid, but we can catch up later. We know that you and Goken have to go right away. Don't worry, we will protect your… son and your mate with our lives. We both owe you that much for giving us a second chance when no one else would."

Gohan and Videl both blush at the mate comment while Seventeen chuckles and gives his sister a high five. Eighteen merely smirks and Kibito huffs out in impatience. Eventually, Seventeen addresses the teenage Satan girl. "Videl, you and Goten are going to be coming with Eighteen and me to the Lookout where we will gather the rest of the remaining fighters that aren't already where that wizard is. We will be leaving as soon as these guys are gone, so say your goodbyes now."

While still somewhat confused as of the details of exactly what's going on, she nods. Still carrying a sleeping chibi in her arms, she turns back to Gohan and Goken (who appeared seconds after they did). She first walks up to Goken, handing him Goten so that she can instigate a hug. For some reason she can't explain, she already feels incredibly attached to Gohan's son from the future and she doesn't want to see him get hurt or even worse… die. She finds herself worried for his safety along with Gohan's.

She also finds that she can sense him, which really surprises her since Gohan said that she could only sense people very close to her at this point in her training. Apparently she considers Goken as an important person in her life, even though she only met him not even an hour ago. She figures that it's due to the fact that he looks so much like the love of her life, not to mention that the ki she feels from him is also almost a carbon copy. Little does she know that this is actually her parental bond with her son from the future.

"Promise me that you'll come back alive," she commands threateningly, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking him dead in the eye.

Goken gives her the classic Son grin that she loves so much. "I promise you m-Videl," he answers, covering his almost slip of 'mother.'

Videl smiles back at the teen from the future, gently taking Goten back into her arms. "Good. If you're anything like you're father I know that you're good for your word." She then walks the short distance over to Gohan, her best friend and true love.

"Gohan…" she starts, but unable to continue. Gohan, seeing that she won't be able to continue, takes the initiative and wraps his arms around her while leaning down and planting a gentle, yet heartfelt kiss on her lips, shocking everyone in the ring, but also making Goken grin widely and Seventeen smirk with an 'I told you so' look on his face.

"Videl," Gohan speaks after the kiss dissipates, but still holding her (and in effect Goten) in his embrace. "I promise you I will come back alive. I have too much to live for to not come back." He pulls away and looks at her, then at Goten, and then finally back at her. "I love you Videl."

In that moment, Videl becomes frozen in time, feeling butterflies in her stomach like never before. She is just so shocked and absolutely elated at his genuine confession to her. She can't believe that the man that she loves loves her back! As time slowly starts to flow for her once again, the only thing that she can say in return is the truth. "I love you too Gohan."

Gohan grins brightly at her and then looks at the chibi in Videl's arms. He quickly takes Goten from her arms and caresses him lovingly, making sure he stays asleep. This little boy is his main reason for going on. If not for Goten, he would probably either be incredibly depressed at this time living alone in the middle of nowhere, not being able to take his mother's death and his father's betrayal, or already dead, probably from his raging depression.

Goten however gave him life; gave him purpose. He is the one that opened the door to happiness for him and he is so incredibly grateful for his little brother and adoptive son, more grateful than words could accurately describe. Raising the chibi on his own has been challenging no doubt, but Gohan has cherished every minute of it. His little squirt is such an energetic and happy child that deserves the whole world and more. His pure innocence radiates like a beacon in the darkness that was Gohan's life after his mother died. This precious life means more than anything in the universe to him, and he will _not _leave him behind.

Gohan bends downs and kisses Goten on the forehead, making the chibi smile in his sleep. He vows to make it back to him. "See ya later squirt…" Gohan whispers to his son quietly. Eventually after a few more impatient coughs from Kibito, Gohan reluctantly hands his chibi back to Videl, looking on at both of them longingly before giving them a smile and walking over to Goken, who is standing right next to Kibito.

"Alright, both of you grab onto one of my arms," the red deity commands. "I will use instantaneous movement to get us to our destination."

Gohan and Goken both nod at Kibito, then at each other before grabbing onto the red man like he told them to. Both take one last fleeting glance at the others in the ring before disappearing from their view.

Videl looks on at the empty space with a frown. She already misses the two but before she has a chance to dwell further on the thought, Seventeen walks up to her. "Common Videl," he states. "Eighteen will gather the others since she knows where they are while we fly up to the Lookout. Just follow me and I'll show you where to go."

Videl looks up at the bio-android and nods softly. Seventeen returns the nod and lifts himself into the air. Videl quickly follows and they both head off towards the Lookout.

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf

oniisan- older brother (formal)

otoutosan- younger brother (formal)

otouto- my little brother; younger brother (informal)

ani- my big brother

ane- my big sister


	17. Poison

**A/N: Hey hey! I thought since I had this done for a while and since my progress on Chapter 17 is going so well that I would give you guys a treat and update a bit early. I apprciate all of the comments and reviews I've been getting. There are a few that I would like to respond to one that was written by a guest, which I will do here.**

**Someone left a review on my last chapter giving me an explanation on power levels. I have said this before, but I will say this again. I don't use power levels! I find power levels to be extremely pointless, plus the just get so big that eventually they become irrelevant. In fact, the whole point of Toryama putting power levels in the anime in the first place was to show just how truly unreliable they are. **

**Instead, what I do to measure someone's ki level is I compare them to someone else who we have a good idea how strong they are (such as Cell or Frieza) I also show power with the way I describe how much their ki goes up when they ascend. For example, someone who has an 'exponential' increase in ki is much more powerful than someone with a 'steady' increase in ki. These are words that I usually use to distinguish between going through another transformation and just gathering more power. This is how I will distinguish ki levels in this story.**

**With that out of the way, as always, I do have something to note with this chapter. Some of the emotions going through everyone and the situations are quite complex. As such, they will probably be up to debate. I was having a ongoing argument with my beta on one of the aspects of this chapter, and with teh additions that I made to the scene, she finally accepted it. I hope that you all do the same, but feel free to leave your opinions on the matter in a review or PM. **

**Alright, enough with that! Let's get to the stuff that you actually want to read. **

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 16: Poison

~Babidi's Chamber, Babidi's Spaceship, Southwest Forest, Age 772~

Babidi watches the battles take place with a scowl on his face. The fighters are a lot stronger than he thought.

The evil wizard knew everything about that blasted Kai's plan to follow his minions here. After all, since he controlled those two pathetic humans that he sent to the tournament, he can tap into their minds at will and in turn hear what they hear. He made sure that the two brutes that he controlled were within hearing range of the kai at all times, so he could listen to exactly what that purple twit is planning. He should have expected such a plan from the stupid kai.

However, now that he knew what was happening on that end, he couldn't have been happier. That brainless buffoon was going to just give him free ki! And a significant amount too! Not only that, but after the ki is drained from that blasted saiyan that forced him to go through all of this extra work, he would be completely defenseless! It was like he stumbled upon a goldmine of stupidity!

So he sent out the Demon Prince to take out the saiyan since he would be more than strong enough to deal with any stragglers. He also was aware of the fact that the blasted assistant of the purple skinned freak would attempt to heal that super saiyan, so he ordered Dabura to step in once he was at his most defenseless, specifically telling his slave to wait until Supreme Kai and the others left to attack.

After his plans back on Papaya Island began, he turned his attention to the next part of his plan. Since he knew that the idiotic kai was planning to strike him down as soon as he tried to receive the ki from his minions, he decided to send his other slave, the king of the demons himself to retrieve it with him. With the protection of his strongest servant, he knew that the kai wouldn't risk an attack. So as the kai and his special forces arrived, he and the king of the demons went up to receive the ki from the human minions of his.

And that's when he felt the kis of the others.

His eyes widened significantly at the pure depth of the kis. True, they weren't nearly as powerful as the super saiyan that he sent Prince Dabura to take out, but they still were quite impressive. With the ki that the humans gathered, the addition of those two other saiyans would definitely go a long way in reviving Buu!

He must have them!

So he decided to lure them into his ship. He knew exactly how too! As soon as he blew up his human slaves (since they weren't of any use to him anymore), he ordered King Dabura to turn both the human and Namekian, who were with that blasted kai, to stone and to tell the saiyans that in order to turn them back that they needed to follow him and kill him (which is actually true).

King Dabura, being the faithful servant that he is, did exactly that with little protest. As expected, both saiyans (the shorter one more begrudgingly than the other) and that pathetic excuse of a kai followed after the demon much to the small wizard's delight. He was so excited to finally gain the ki needed for Buu's release.

With that task finished with, he ordered one of his weaker minions, an alien from the planet Zoon named Pui Pui who had the same ki level as Frieza in his first form, to fight off the saiyans while he went to Buu's chamber to give him the ki gathered at the tournament. When he did though, the fun-sized wizard could only stare at the meter that showed the percentage of Buu's ki that was recovered.

It was already two-thirds full!

Babidi was beyond surprised. That super saiyan really had _that_ much ki? That is simply preposterous! He finds that he's incredibly glad that he sent Prince Dabura to kill him off when he did then. If that reading is true, then not even King Dabura would be able to take him out. As soon as that thought flees his mind however, an incredibly sinister grin spreads on his face.

It simply will be too easy to revive Buu now…

At least that's what he thought…

He looks at the current battle taking place with distaste. He had cast a spell on his ship that allows any damage that comes at his minions' hands to be converted into ki energy that will get directly transferred to Buu. Sure, he already has two thirds of the energy needed to revive Buu, and these two saiyans would easily be able to give him the other third, but if what he sees going on right now keeps up, nothing is going to be collected!

He is watching the taller saiyan as he fights his next strongest slave after Prince Dabura, Yakon, a monster from the furthest reaches of the Northern Galaxy where his home planet is doused in eternal darkness. So far, his monster hasn't been able to land a single hit on him, even though he transferred that room of his ship to his slave's home planet! This 'Kakarot' (according to what the other saiyan is calling him) appears to be not even trying as he transforms into a super saiyan, which enrages the impish wizard.

He just got done watching Pui Pui get annihilated by that other saiyan (Vegeta, he remembers scornfully) with not even a trace remaining of his minion. That part isn't what enraged him so though. It was the fact that he did it so effortlessly! Sure, when he sent Pui Pui out to fight the two saiyans, he didn't expect him to be able to win; however, he expected him to collect at least _some_ ki and damage them up a little bit! Not only did that pathetic excuse for a minion get completely and utterly destroyed, but he also failed to collect _any_ ki!

After that pathetic display, Babidi decided to not take any more chances, and decided to not only send out his most powerful warrior after the two demons, but also give him home field advantage! However, as he continues to watch Yakon battle with Kakarot, he sees the same thing happening! Currently, Kakarot has just turned super saiyan again after Yakon ate the light that the form emitted. Of course the dark monster, being as greedy as he is, just eats the light again, but Kakarot seems to just continue to supply the creature with more and more light.

Babidi groans out in frustration, making the demon king standing right next to him sweatdrop nervously. The evil wizard knows exactly what the saiyan is doing. He's going to make Yakon eat so much light that he explodes! Sure, this act is making him weaker, but he's not taking any physical damage, so none of the ki is going to Majin Buu!

Thankfully, his monster seems to realize this and tries to shut his mouth, but before he has a chance, Kakarot flairs his ki, causing a significant jump in the intensity of the light, pushing the monster of darkness over the edge and making him explode with ease.

Babidi blinks.

And then blinks again.

And then smirks evilly.

The power that he felt in that instant was out of this world, but that's not the reason he's smirking. No, the real reason behind the smirk is the rage that he felt behind the power.

A rage that he can use!

The wizard had assumed that any warrior that the Supreme Kai would have brought with him was pure of heart since that freak knows that he controls people through the evil in their hearts. However, as he feels the two saiyans more closely, he comes to realize that Vegeta, while not truly evil anymore, has some hidden darkness in his now mostly clean heart.

Kakarot is a different story though. Babidi can't find a trace of evil in the pure hearted saiyan, much to his confusion. He could have sworn that he just felt an underlying rage that made his heart impure for a moment when fighting Yakon. It's then that he realizes that Kakarot is naturally pure, but under the right circumstances, he can be every bit as wrathful as himself! He just needs to create those circumstances.

And he knows exactly how.

It seems that in order to tap into a greater amount of power, Kakarot needs to get angry. While he is pure hearted in his super saiyan form, he was on the edge of another, stronger form when he killed Yakon. It seems that this Kakarot has reached the same form of power that the saiyan at the tournament has, but unlike that saiyan, he has absolutely no control of this power.

One of Babidi's biggest regrets was almost five years ago when he had the opportunity to take over the boy's power after he felt it a second time. The first time he felt it at the Cell Games, he was too far away, recruiting Yakon in order to attempt to take him over, but this time, he was close to Earth, spying on the boy from the nearest planet. At the time, his power was completely erotic, out of control, and it held behind in such malice that he could have easily taken control of it, just like before. So that's what he attempted to do.

Babidi's mistake back then was that he didn't expect the strength that the love of his father and kids had on him. Even at his pinnacle of evilness, when he had his best shot at controlling the boy back when he had just killed Bojack, his father had stepped in, and then the saiyan boy's resolve strengthened once more. Then, once his children were in danger, he broke the spell completely.

The wizard doesn't know what happened after that since he no longer had a connection with the boy. But even more importantly, when that boy broke the spell, it had a much larger effect than he ever could have anticipated. Babidi ended up not only losing control of the saiyan boy, but a good number of his less evil hearted warriors as well. He even had trouble trying to keep hold of everyone else that he had under control!

This phenomenon was completely unexpected and it had draconian consequences. He ended up losing over half of his army that day! Why the boy breaking his spell had such an impact he has no clue. All he knew is that he needed to find stronger warriors and warriors with much darker hearts as well.

Remembering that encounter, Babidi becomes nervous at what he's going to try to do. This will be his first attempt at trying to control a naturally pure-hearted warrior in a moment of rage since that time five years ago. He doesn't know how this will turn out. He will need to time it perfectly in order to do this. The saiyan can't feel any love of his family. Fortunately, in this ship, he is far away from any of his family.

Another thing he must do is push him to use his power that he showed briefly before. In order to do this, the saiyan must be presented a challenge. Sure, Babidi could send King Dabura out there, but if that other saiyan's display of power was anything to go by with how much ki he gave to Buu, then this saiyan may have enough power to actually kill the king of the demons if the wizard's plan fails, so he doesn't want to risk that.

He does however have a backup plan.

Control Vegeta.

As of right now, he can tell that Vegeta can't reach this transformed power as of yet, but is very close. If he were to take over the saiyan prince and unleash his reserves, then he would be able to ascend beyond the first level of super saiyan. Then, and only then would Kakarot have a worthy challenge that would push him over the edge, and that's when Babidi will pounce.

* * *

~Third Stage, Babidi's Spaceship~

"Come on out you coward so we can kill you and get this whole thing over with!"

Vegeta screams out his furies lividly, frustrated with the current situation. He, along with that waste of space Supreme Kai and the third class idiot Kakarot have been stuck in the same small room for the past half hour, waiting for Babidi to send out his next opponent. Not only was the first opponent a waste of his time, but he was also shown that the blasted baka Kakarot surpassed him once again when he fought that idiotic monster from the black abyss before.

Needless to say Vegeta is in his own version of Hell at the moment.

"Common Vegeta, lighten up!" Goku tries calming his fellow saiyan down, grinning. "I bet he's just trying to find us another opponent."

The saiyan prince growls irritably, his patience running thin. "Shut up Kakarot! This whole thing has been a waste of my time! I could be at that blasted human tournament fighting you right now but instead I'm cooped up inside of this Dendeforsaken spaceship waiting for another weakling opponent!"

Goku waves his hands in front of him defensively. "Woah there Vegeta, chill out!" Goku tries again. "I already told you that we will fight as soon as we get back–"

"Bullshit Kakarot!" he fiercely replies, now stomping over to the dead saiyan. "We've already wasted enough time! I will fight you now!"

"No Vegeta!" Supreme Kai yells, making his presence known for the first time since they entered this stage of Babidi's ship. "You mustn't fight each other right now! You could unleash Majin Buu prematurely! Even then, he will still be unstoppable!"

"SCREW Majin Buu!" Vegeta furiously retorts, now turning towards the Supreme Kai. "You've been saying everyone that we've fought so far is one of the strongest in the universe, yet they've been nothing but weaklings! I have a feeling that this Majin Buu isn't as strong as you say he is!"

"No, you're wrong Vegeta," the kai states seriously. His tone is low, but it still holds the power of his title. "Majin Buu will destroy everything if he is released even at partial power. Trust me! I've seen it before!"

The saiyan prince scoffs in response. "Pfft! You haven't seen my true power yet. If you had, then you'd know that his Majin Buu is nothing but a joke!" He then turns to Goku. "Common Kakarot! Show me what you've got!"

"_Let me help you with that!"_

Vegeta whips his head around, looking for the source of the voice that just echoed through his mind. "Who's there?! Show yourself coward!"

Goku and Supreme Kai look shocked at Vegeta's accusation. They didn't hear anything!

_The voice laughs in Vegeta's head. "That won't be necessary Vegeta, for soon you will be my slave!" _

Vegeta growls at the voice, but before he even has a chance to respond, he feels an unbelievable amount of pain in his head, spreading like poison. It feels like it's going to explode and the saiyan immediately bursts into super saiyan, knocking both Goku and Supreme Kai off their feet. He then starts screaming in sheer agony as he grabs his head, shaking it back and forth, trying with all of his might to make the pain stop.

Babidi wastes no time taking ahold of the evil in Vegeta's heart, knowing that Supreme Kai could cast the counter curse if he's not quick enough. Luck seems to be on the wizard's side as that last tirade that Vegeta went on drew the now small amount of evil in the prince's heart to the surface, making it much easier to grab ahold of. He quickly ties it down and draws it out right before he feels the effects of the counter curse starting to take effect on the man's heart.

Supreme Kai realized as soon as Vegeta transformed what Babidi was trying to do. He tried to perform the counter curse to the wizard's spell as quickly as possible, but unfortunately the amount of time it took to recover from Vegeta's unexpected transformation was enough time for Babidi to act, so he was too late with the spell. The kai sighs in defeat, cursing himself for not recognizing this right away and allowing Vegeta to fall to this spell.

"Supreme Kai!" Goku yells desperately through all of the noise of Vegeta's transformation and screaming. He has a look of panic on his face as he watches someone who he considers a dear friend cry out in agony due to an unknown force. What makes it ten times worse is the fact that this is the second time he's seen this kind of scene since he's been back in the land of the living. "What's going on!?"

Shin hangs his head disappointingly. "I'm sorry Goku…" he starts. "But Vegeta's mind is being taken over by Babidi. I tried to stop it but I was too late. He's now one of Babidi's slaves."

Goku's eyes widen in horror before he shakes his head and scowls at the Supreme Kai. "No!" he denies, surprising the kai immensely. "I know Vegeta and he will not let himself become a slave! There's no way!"

"I'm sorry Goku, but Babidi's magic is extremely powerful. He can take even the smallest evil in someone's heart and bring it to the surface, using its pull to control them. No one can stand up to it Goku!"

Goku shakes his head, but doesn't respond verbally, instead turning his attention back to his suffering saiyan friend. He notices that while Vegeta is indeed suffering, that his power is also increasing as well. He is shocked at how much ki the saiyan prince is emitting. Goku's eyes widen as he feels Vegeta's ki jump exponentially, a jump he's all too familiar with.

The saiyan prince just ascended to super saiyan 2.

Goku now starts to feel what the supreme Kai is talking about with Vegeta falling under the evil wizard's control. With all of this new power, Vegeta's ki has become cold, almost sinister feeling. The transformation itself was vastly different too. Instead of a glowing golden aura with blue lightning dancing around his form, instead, a blood red aura surrounds the saiyan prince with crimson colored lightning. His muscles bulked up like they normally do in this form, but they start to become overly large, and the veins in Vegeta's arms start to bulge out of his growing muscles. His hair is still the same golden color, but just spiked up even more (if that's possible) and his eyes are still the turquoise color that is characteristic of this form of super saiyan. But the thing that confirms Goku's fears that Vegeta is truly under Babidi's spell is the cursive 'M' that is now etched on the prince's forehead, a symbol that all of the other Majin had.

"Vegeta…" Goku speaks softly, a pained expression on his face. It really hurts him to see Vegeta so ruthless looking once again. He knows that deep down, this is all just because of Babidi. In fact, this whole mess is because of that freak! His son was attacked because of him, then both Piccolo and Krillin were turned to stone thanks to that stupid demon that the wizard was controlling, and now one of his close friends is under the same wizard's spell!

Well Goku's had enough.

"Babidi!" he screams to the ceiling. "Show yourself you coward!" he shouts, repeating Vegeta's words from earlier.

Supreme Kai is taken aback by the venom in Goku's voice. The dead saiyan really is coming to detest the evil wizard almost as much as he does. It's not that surprising considering everything that Babidi has done since Goku has been on Earth. Still, it's very uncharacteristic of the kind-hearted saiyan.

"Shut up you clown!" Vegeta shouts at Goku, making said saiyan turn around and face Vegeta seriously. He knows that this isn't the real Vegeta. The real Vegeta is trapped within his own mind thanks to the evil Wizard that's holding him captive.

"Vegeta, don't worry," Goku softly replies, his voice dripping with sympathy. "I'll get you out of that state and then we'll fight."

The saiyan prince responds by using his newfound speed and punching his saiyan comrade straight in the jaw, sending him flying into one of the walls of the spaceship, creating a man sized dent. Goku falls on his face, not expecting that in least, but quickly recovers and gets up. As he rises to his feet however, he is met face to face with Vegeta, who reaches up and grabs the front of Goku's orange gi.

"You listen here Kakarot," he spits. "I don't need _your_ help! In fact, I want to kill you for saying that, but right now we _will_ fight like true saiyans. I have been waiting five fucking years for this fight! I will not wait any longer!" He then throws Goku across the room, which conveniently changes into a wasteland far from where they were. Obviously Babidi moved them not wanting their fight to wreck his spaceship.

Due to the force of Vegeta's throw as well as the fact that he's not powered up, Goku goes flying into one of the nearby plateaus, crashing into it and making a crater. Vegeta sneers at the sight. "Common Kakarot! Power up and fight me like a true saiyan! I want a true challenge!"

Babidi watches the scene through his crystal ball with delight. That saiyan Kakarot will have no choice but to bring out his power soon, and then he will take the biggest risk that he's possibly ever taken in trying to control the saiyan. So far though, everything seems to be working in his favor.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Goku lets out a kiai, blasting his way out of the rock that he was imbedded in. He instantly powers up to super saiyan, his hair becoming a bleached blond and his eyes a vibrant teal. However, while his ki level has shot up dramatically, it's still nothing in comparison to that of the enraged saiyan prince.

Goku quickly rushes back to the scene only to get a fist in his face by none other than Vegeta, making the dead saiyan stumble backwards. Not one to waste an opportunity, Vegeta quickly makes his way behind his opponent and takes out his legs that are now off balance, causing Goku to fall back first to the ground.

"You're pathetic Kakarot!" he mocks, scowling at the dead saiyan. "And to think that I thought you would be a challenge! You're as pathetic as your ingrate of a son!"

Goku's eyes, which were closed as he was gathering his breath snap open at Vegeta's statement. He quickly jumps to his feet and confronts the smaller, but more powerful saiyan. "What did you just say?"

Vegeta smirks. "You heard me," he answers. "Your weak excuse for a son was so helpless that he let those two brutes of humans drain all of his ki."

Goku growls in response. Normally he wouldn't let banter from his opponent get to him this much, but he hasn't seen Gohan in five years, not to mention that the demi-saiyan has been suffering all these years because of a mistake Goku made. Right now, insults to his son are something that he will not tolerate. "He only was drained because the Supreme Kai paralyzed him!" he shouts back in defense of his son.

"I will say this though Kakarot," Vegeta continues, completely ignoring Goku's response. "You acted like a true saiyan and held back, not interfering with the course of what happened. If he was that weak, he deserved to get his ki sucked out of him. What a pathetic ex–"

Vegeta is cut off by Goku's fist. The normally lighthearted, kind saiyan is shaking with rage at the moment. How _dare_ he say that about Gohan!

Supreme Kai, who has so far just been watching the situation intently trying to figure out a way where they can break Babidi's hold on Vegeta, sees Goku start to lose his temper and knows that isn't what he needs right now. He's going to need Goku with a level head if they want to get out of this situation without causing any more damage than they already have. "Goku!" he yells "You need to calm down! Don't let him get to you!"

The kai's pleas however fall on deaf ears. Goku is too lost in his rage at the moment. All he can think about right now is what happened to his son at the tournament. He was attacked by Babidi's henchmen, not being able to defend himself due to the fact that Supreme Kai paralyzed his muscles so he couldn't move. The image of the event floods Goku's mind. He remembers vividly the expression of sheer pain and agony on his son's face as he was getting his ki sucked dry, and Vegeta has the audacity to say that Gohan _deserved _that!?

No, Gohan deserves the complete opposite! He deserves to be happy; to be with his friends that are like family; to be able to live in peace without having to worry about another villain threatening to take over the universe. Gohan deserves to be able to live with his brother–no son, he amends, thinking of the bond between the two demi-saiyans–without having to fight for his life. Just for once he wishes that that could be true.

But it's not true.

And now, Vegeta is saying that Gohan _deserves_ all of the suffering. Goku will not stand for that. Once again, the image of his son's suffering at the Budokai fills Goku's mind, and then an image of Gohan's suffering five years ago when he killed Bojack enters it as well, replaying right in front of him like some sort of sick twisted horror movie.

And finally… Goku snaps.

The dead saiyan lets out a bloodcurdling scream, making both Vegeta and Supreme Kai clutch their ears in pain. Goku's screams sound inhuman in their tone, more feral and primitive. He is suffering some serious emotional pain at the moment, not noticing that he is transforming into a super saiyan 2. The Earth starts shaking under the saiyan's power and clouds start to gather around above the saiyan. A golden aura explodes around the dead saiyan, making him glow as if he were a golden star. A lightning bolt from the sky strikes the saiyan and he completes the transformation to the next level.

As the lightning strikes, a gust of wind explodes off of the saiyan, and his ki flies off the charts. As his ki finally levels off, the winds die down and he stops glowing, but what remains awes the Supreme Kai and makes Vegeta smirk.

There stands Goku in all of his super saiyan 2 glory. His hair is a bright golden color, spiked up completely, only three bangs hanging down; his body is crackling with blue electricity, jumping off of his form eagerly and shattering the small rocks that they hit. His body has bulked out even more, giving the dead saiyan an extra two inches in height. However, those features are all normal of a super saiyan 2.

What aren't though are his eyes…

They are completely white, no pupils or irises at all. He is completely out of control in this form. Supreme Kai looks on in horror, thinking that Babidi might have taken control of the dead saiyan, but feels his ki and realizes that he is just completely enraged.

And now he and Vegeta are completely even with each other in terms of ki.

Supreme Kai is amazed at how much ki Goku was holding back before. Vegeta only got this powerful thanks to Babidi's magic, and he's not even at King Dabura's level yet. However, Goku is producing all of this on his own; he's had all of this power hidden from him.

He can see why he hid it though…

It's obvious that Goku has no control over this form. He is only running on an anger high right now, and the kai knows that that could be horrible.

It is at this time that he wishes for Kibito and Gohan to hurry up and get over here! He has been wondering this whole time what has been taking them so long! At this rate, Gohan may be the only one that can take out his father and Vegeta.

The kai's thoughts are cut off by Goku punching Vegeta in the jaw with all of his strength, sending the smaller saiyan stumbling backwards. Amazingly the saiyan prince doesn't fall over, but starts defending himself against Goku's rage driven assault. The saiyan prince, while on the defensive, is systematically picking apart Goku's assault. The dead saiyan is too enraged to fight properly.

After a while, Vegeta fights back. He strikes the saiyan in the side, but the attack is blocked by the quick reflexes of Goku. The battle continues, now with Goku on the defensive and Vegeta attacking. The saiyan prince though, unlike his saiyan counterpart, is actually getting some decent hits in throughout the exchange, and is actually starting to take some damage. Of course thanks to Babidi's setup, that ki lost is going to fueling Majin Buu.

Eventually though, Goku throws a strong strike at Vegeta's solar plexus and knocks the saiyan prince back. He growls a feral growl and charges the prince while he's off balance. He punches Vegeta in the face as he's holding his chest, successfully breaking his nose and causing a stream of blood to shoot out of the broken accessory. He wastes no time in following up by giving the saiyan prince a strong roundhouse kick in the left side, in effect shattering the prince's hip and sending him sprawling out across the way.

Instead of backing off and allowing Vegeta a chance to recover like he normally would though, Goku continues to charge onwards. He starts beating on the saiyan prince, stomping down on the sternum and punching him in the face while he is pinned down.

"Don't you _dare_ say that Gohan deserves what happened to him at that tournament you piece of scum!" he shouts furiously as he continues to beat at Vegeta's already messed up face. "He deserves anything but that! He has been through so much and I wish I was there for him, but I wasn't. That doesn't mean that he deserved it though you bastard!"

Goku just continues to beat on Vegeta until the prince eventually regains his wits and is able to use a kiai to knock his fellow saiyan off. He struggles to get up though, obviously very hurt from Goku's relentless assault, and takes this time to recover some sort of dignity.

The dead saiyan will have none of it though, and is about to charge his opponent again when he feels an extraordinary pain go through his head. He falls down immediately, grabbing his head, trying to make the pain subside, but it only increases more. His ki starts to rise even higher and his aura starts flaring uncontrollably as he fights off the attack on his mind.

Babidi finally chose this moment to try and attack the normally pure hearted saiyan. He's currently enraged so much the wizard actually saw killing intent, and with it, a small drop of evil spilled into the saiyans heart. As soon as he saw it he pounced, and now he is trying to drag the evil to the surface.

This is however much more challenging than it was with Vegeta. Unlike the saiyan prince, the evil in Goku's heart is a pseudo-evil; it's only there due to his mental state. If the saiyan would gain even partial control of his super saiyan 2 form, then the evil would disappear, and the wizard would have nothing to pull on. This is what makes this move so risky, but the reward is grand if he succeeds. If he is somehow able to get Goku under control, then he would be so powerful that there would be no way he would be stopped from reviving Buu!

Finally, he is able to lasso that evil, right as a wave of resistance comes in from the Supreme Kai's counter curse. Once again, he just beat the kai and now has the more difficult part of dragging the evil up to the surface.

But much to Babidi's shock and horror, the evil suddenly disappears out of the saiyan's heart and he is jettisoned out of his mind forcefully. This causes Babidi to lose his balance from where he's standing in his chamber and fall on his backside.

What just happened!?

He was about to control the saiyan!

He was within his grasp!

The big gamble that he took was about to pay off!

What the _hell_ happened!?

* * *

Back on the battlefield, Goku continues to howl in pain as the Supreme Kai slams his fist into the ground at his failure. He was too late again! He thought it would be impossible for Babidi to possibly take over Goku's mind since the saiyan is as pure hearted as they come, but apparently, in his rage, he has just enough evil for Babidi to grasp onto. Everything is falling apart!

It is in that moment though that three people pop into existence out of nowhere. The Supreme Kai blinks, immediately aware of the three new presences. He sighs in relief as he feels Kibito helping him up, although as soon as he's up they both turn their attention to Goku once again.

Gohan and Goken are both staring wide eyed at Goku, in his super saiyan 2 glory, clutching his head in pain from an invisible attack. Goken looks on incredibly worried, already knowing what is happening to his grandfather. He has no clue how it's even possible for Babidi to take over Goku's mind, as he is pure of heart, but all of the signs are there: the head pain, the rising ki, and worst of all, the darkening ki. He looks on with a serious face, determined to protect his father from doing anything rash. After all, he knows first-hand how someone can be when under the wizard's spell, no matter _who _they are. He clenches his fists with that thought.

Gohan though has no clue what is going on. For all he knows, Goku is being attacked mentally by Babidi (which is mostly right) and he is killing him in the process (not right). He wants, to help, but then remembers everything that happened at the tournament recently. Goku was just standing there and watching as he was literally getting the life sucked out of him! He could have jumped in to help him, but he didn't.

Not only that, but once everything was over, he didn't once make sure he was alright. According to his son from the future, as soon as the two men were done draining his ki for all it was worth, he took off with the Supreme Kai without even checking on him.

Now the demi-saiyan could take this one of two ways: either his father was trying to go after the two to avenge him, or he really didn't care about his well-being at all and was merely following them to get to another fight. After everything that he has been through these past five years, along with his change in view for his father, he believes that his father was just thinking with his fists once more, just like he did in Other World.

Either way, his father had once again abandoned him in a time of need. If what Goken said is true (and he trusts his son completely), then the Demon Prince came to finish him off afterwards, as he was lying unconscious. Seventeen and Eighteen had stayed and tried to fight him off, but failed; however, at least they were there! Two androids that used to be his enemies cared more about him than his own father!

As he continues to watch his father scream out in agony however, he feels more and more regret. Despite all of these hateful thoughts towards Goku, the man still is his father, and he doesn't like seeing him suffer. Even though his father hasn't been here, and even though he believes his father doesn't care about him anymore, Gohan still cares for him.

He also reasons that if he were to just stand here and watch his father, he would be doing the exact same thing that his father did to him, stooping to his level and showing that what he did was right in that situation, so he decides to help. Besides, he could never stand the sight of his father in pain, and this situation is no different.

But he doesn't know _how_ he can help. He suddenly becomes desperate, shouting out to his father to see what the matter is.

"Dad!" he shouts panicked, concerned deeply for his father's well-being, running towards the man.

Immediately at the shout Goku's eyes shoot open. He knows that voice! Although it's a lot deeper than he remembers, there is no way that he would forget that voice.

The voice of his son.

Goku quickly whips his head over in Gohan's direction and his pupil-less eyes widen at what he sees.

Two Gohans.

One of the Gohans is running over to him while the other is standing there. The one running seems to be extremely concerned while the other seems to be incredibly shocked for some unknown reason, as if he can't believe his eyes.

Either way, Goku sees that his son is both alive and healthy, not suffering and in pain like he sees in his clouded mind.

Slowly, the pain in his head recedes and Goku falls out of his rage, his pupils and irises returning to his eyes. Now they are a stunning turquoise color, the normal color for an in control super saiyan 2 as Gohan runs straight into him, toppling him over with a hug. Goku is rushed with a feeling of relief and can't help but shed a few tears as he hugs his son back, grinning like a madman.

Both Kibito and Supreme Kai are stunned once again. The saiyan was about to fall under Babidi's spell when Gohan arrived, and as soon as he heard his son's voice, he got himself under control. This phenomenon was completely unexpected! They thought that as soon as the counter curse isn't effective that whoever Babidi is trying to control is beyond saving.

However, the Supreme Kai has a theory on how this could have occurred. It is the only possible explanation he can think of. Because Goku is naturally pure of heart, the evil that Babidi was going after must have been caused by the saiyan's rage. However, like an antibiotic being the cure for an infection, the presence of Gohan must be the cure for Goku's rage. Once Goku saw that his son was here, he was immediately calmed and lost his rage, and in effect, the evil that he had in his heart, giving Babidi no leverage to grab onto.

Now the relief of what happened finally washes over the kai as soon as he justifies the events that occurred. He feels so much more confidence now that Gohan and Kibito are here… and that other guy. He still has no clue who the other person is, even after reaching out to feel his now unblocked ki, although he admits that if he didn't have knowledge of all of the kis in the universe that he would have thought he was Gohan. He could probably deduce the answer himself, but he decides to ask Kibito since he knows already.

"He's Gohan's son from the future," the red deity replies to his master's question, much to the purple man's shock. "I still have no clue how, but that's the only explanation I can come up with. Not only that, but this isn't his first time here if their reactions to seeing each other were to go by."

The Supreme Kai feels distraught at the news. How in the world did he not know of Gohan's son from the future if he came back before!? He's the Supreme Kai! This is something major that he should have seen coming not only this time, but the first time it happened!

He has a feeling that it's because there used to be five Supreme Kais. He was originally the East Supreme Kai until Bibidi found a way to magically get himself to Highest Heaven and kill all of them but himself. After that whole debacle, he put some much needed safeguards on all of Other World to make sure that no living being could ever get to Other World without dying again unless a certain allowance is made by the kai's, such as the rebellion in Hell a few years back.

But what the death of four of the Supreme Kais did was it forced East Supreme Kai to become the _only_ Supreme Kai, and in turn, he alone was responsible for watching over the entire universe. Soon after that, he promoted the Grand Kai at that time, Kibito, to become his Assistant Supreme Kai so he had at least _some_ help with his task. Even then though, East Supreme Kai would always have a tendency to drift back to his old role and in turn pay much more attention to the East Quadrant of the Universe.

He has a feeling that this is what happened at the time of the time traveler's first visit. He was busy overseeing another threat in the East Quadrant around the time of five years ago, and thus made it his priority, thinking that Babidi couldn't touch the boy from before since his heart was pure. He also knew that if some other threat other than Majin Buu came up in that quadrant, that boy would be able to deal with it on his own, so he didn't worry about it.

By the time the threat in the Eastern Galaxy had been taken care of, Bojack and Goku were already in Other World, Gohan had been wished back, and his kids along with Mirai Trunks had already gone back to their timeline.

For now, the Supreme Kai lets it go. He has more important issues to deal with, like the enraged super saiyan 2 Vegeta that is under Babidi's control. He seems to be glaring daggers at Goku and Gohan, probably angry that his fight was interrupted by the demi-saiyan.

In fact, that is exactly what Vegeta is thinking at the moment. He finally was having a good fight with his rival when his good for nothing son just showed up out of nowhere and ran up to him. And even worse, Kakarot seems to be completely ignoring him, paying much more attention to his son now, and that makes him furious. He's the prince of all saiyans! That third class piece of trash as well as his mutant son should be bowing down to him!

Vegeta makes a move towards Goku, but is cut off by Goken, who is powered up in his super saiyan state now. The demi-saiyan from the future glares at Vegeta. "Oh no you don't," he states, making Vegeta's already bulging temple throb even more. "Those two have some issues to work out. You will have to fight _me_ instead."

Goken finally figured out what happened to his grandfather. Goku has a parental bond with Gohan, and that bond is so strong that it was able to snap Goku out of his rage at the mere sound of his son's voice. Goken figures that his grandpa's rage was the only reason Babidi was able to attempt to control him, and that once he lost that rage, Babidi had nothing to grab ahold of anymore.

However, despite this encouraging development, he also knows that Gohan and Goku aren't even close to figuring everything out yet. He noticed the tension earlier when he had mentioned his grandfather, and Goken knows that it will take some good, old fashioned soul searching in order to put this situation between the two of them at rest. However, they can't do that with Vegeta jumping down their throats every chance he gets, so he decides to buy the father/son duo some time and distract Vegeta.

Goken can feel Vegeta's ki, and while he is impressed with how powerful it is, it is nothing he can't handle. The future teen figures that at Vegeta's current power, he should be able to put the arrogant prince in his place, or at least battle him off until Babidi's magic wears out.

Vegeta meanwhile growls at the future demi-saiyan, scrutinizing him. He doesn't know who this kid is since Gohan is over by Kakarot, but his ki feels very familiar. Suddenly, Vegeta's clouded mind figures out who it is in front of him.

And he lets out a howl of laughter.

"Haha I don't believe it!" he cackles. "If it isn't the brat of the brat from the future! Last time you were here you couldn't even beat the Namekian. You won't even last two seconds against me!"

Goken smirks. Instead of answering verbally, a golden aura explodes off his form as he stifles a scream as ki floods his body, making Vegeta stumble backwards at the surprising force. Blue lightning starts to surround his form and his eyes darken to a more turquoise color as his golden hair starts to stand even more on end and his muscles start to grow bulkier. His ki also exponentially increases until it is even with Vegeta's and he visibly relaxes. While this isn't Goken's full power, he wants to delay Vegeta as much as he can. A good, even match will do just that.

However, that's not the main reason for this. He also doesn't know if he will be able to control himself at his full super saiyan 2 power. He can barely keep his wits as it is at this power, and unlike his father, he doesn't have full control of this form yet. He doesn't know what he will do if he lets Vegeta provoke him at that level, so he plays the safer route and decides to only hold off Vegeta for long enough for his grandfather to deal with him later.

At Goken's ki increase, Gohan is startled out of his daze and notices that he is on top of his father _hugging_ him. Gohan's eyes widen as he realizes that he just charged his father and hugged him, making everything seem right when it clearly is not. He quickly jumps off of his father and looks over at Goken concerned. His father can wait. If his son is in danger, he needs to help him out!

Goken, feeling that his father's ki suddenly became startled, turns around and looks at him, noticing his concerned look. He smiles at him to ease his fears, and signaling to him that everything is alright. He may not have too much control of this form, but like Goten and Goku, Goken draws comfort from his dad.

"Dad," he yells. "I will fight him for now. I want to see how much Veggie-head has improved since the last time I came here." Vegeta growls at that statement, but Goken ignores it and continues. "You go ahead and work out what you need to with grandpa. Don't worry," he adds, seeing his father start to protest. "I will be able to handle him."

Gohan looks at his son seriously. He is incredibly impressed that Goken is able to become a super saiyan 2, although it doesn't shock him since he knows the boy's disposition for power. He does a ki scan and finds that his son is right. He can tell that Goken still has some ki reserves while Vegeta is already above his limits, being fueled by Babidi's magic.

Eventually he nods at his son. "Alright Goken, I trust you to know what you're doing."

Goken gives his father a thumbs up before facing Vegeta again, trying not to laugh at the prince's expression. Vegeta looks as though he is about to explode, not taking Goken's taunts too well. This is exactly what the mirai demi-saiyan was hoping for, as fighting Vegeta enraged will make the battle a bit easier.

"Babidi!" Goken shouts to the air. "Move Vegeta and me to another location away from the others and I will fight him. That's what you want, right? For me to fight him and get more ki for Buu?"

The evil wizard blinks, wondering how this kid not only just showed up out of nowhere but knows that he is looking on and planning out his next move. After his failed attempt at controlling Goku, the pint-sized wizard was trying to recover his wits. He almost lost control of Vegeta and even had to struggle to keep control of King Dabura! That was the giant risk that he took when attempting to take over Goku and he paid the consequences of it, but thankfully for him, while he lost control of all of the rest of his servants, he was able to maintain control of Dabura as well as the saiyan prince.

However, only now was he able to finally get back on track. After he finally recovered from his mishap, he realized that Prince Dabura was gone! He had no clue how that could have happened since the only person who should have been strong enough to kill him was already unconscious the last time he checked, but now he notices that not only was Gohan able to survive, but so was Kibito, who is obviously the reason why Gohan is in such good shape.

Now that he gets a good look at this mystery saiyan however, everything starts to make sense. He remembers this kid from the time that he tried to take over Gohan's mind five years ago. This is one of those blasted kids of his from the future, and for some reason, he's back here in this timeline. That part doesn't concern the wizard, but it does explain how Prince Dabura was killed.

As he feels Goken's ki, he can tell that the kid definitely would have the power to kill Prince Dabura with ease, as it matches Vegeta's power. He briefly entertains the idea of attempting to control Goken. The wizard feels the ki of the demi-saiyan and scowls as he feels that it's as pure as his father's, but he notices that under the right circumstances, there is a hidden rage, just like Goku.

This time however, the evil wizard dismisses the idea. He has already failed twice in trying to control naturally pure-hearted individuals, and the risk of losing both Vegeta and King Dabura far outweighs the possible gain at this point. Besides, if what he feels from this kid is accurate, he should be plenty enough to resurrect Buu.

So he decides to grant Goken's request.

"_So be it, saiyan," _Babidi spits. _"I will move you to another location. Para pa pa!"_

Goken gives his father one last glance before being transported, along with Vegeta, to the other side of the planet, along with that room of the spaceship so that the damage Goken takes can get converted to ki. This leaves Gohan with his father, along with Kibito and Supreme Kai, who are still trying to process what is going on.

* * *

~The Lookout, Korin's Tower~

Videl follows Seventeen to the Lookout carrying Goten. The flight has been relatively silent since both Videl and Seventeen have been lost in thought, thinking about the current situation while Goten has been in a relatively peaceful slumber since he fell asleep at the tournament on top of Gohan's unconscious body.

The bio-android has been contemplating what his next move will be. This will be the android's first contact with the Z-gang members other than his sister since he was trying to fight against them. He doesn't know how well they will accept him.

But he figures that if they are anything like Gohan or Goten, then he shouldn't have too much of a problem. Like Gohan had told him before, he's a changed man, and he's a good person now.

Plus if they give him any grief, he has Goten and Videl to vouch for him. They have both been hanging around him for the better part of three months now, and they don't seem to have a problem with him. The chibi demi-saiyan adores him, and Videl considers him one of her few true friends. Once everyone sees him interact with the two of them, it should show them all how much he's truly changed for the better.

Videl meanwhile is thinking something completely different. She is still worried about the safety of both Gohan and Goken. The human teen has had this whole flight to the Lookout to think and she is still confused at what is going on. However, she knows that Gohan and Goken are both going to a battlefield to fight an incredibly dangerous wizard and whatever minions he has under his control.

She doesn't like that thought one bit.

What makes the situation worse for her is that she isn't there with them. She feels as though she should be helping out with fighting off this new enemy, but she also realizes that the enemy that they are fighting off is way out of her league. That frustrates Videl to no end. She has been training with Gohan for over a year now, learning various forms of ki manipulation, yet she _still _is powerless to stop them!

Being on the sidelines is something she isn't used to. In Satan City, she was always in the middle of the action, helping out the police force take out criminals, being a productive member of the team of justice. Videl always was able to handle herself against even the toughest of criminals thanks to her abilities, while the people of Satan City watched her, amazed at what she could do.

Now however, she is the Satan City citizen. She has been reduced to watching the situation occur from afar while the love of her life and his son from the future play her normal role and risk their lives for the sake of everyone else. It is really killing her to just watch them both and not be able to help them.

Videl is startled out of her thoughts by Goten shifting around in her arms. The chibi lightly sighs before sticking his thumb in his mouth and continuing to sleep. Videl looks at the chibi in her arms and can't help but smile, holding on to him the slightest bit tighter.

She is surprised that Goten hasn't woken up yet with everything that has happened. He is still sound asleep, curled up in a cradled ball as Videl continues to follow Seventeen up into the air. For the moment, Goten seems content, wearing a cute expression while he sleeps on and Videl suddenly realizes what her true purpose is in this whole thing.

To protect Goten.

Videl can't believe herself! Sure, she isn't fighting on the battlefield, but she probably has the most important job that Gohan could have given her. She knows how much Goten means to him, and she also knows how extremely protective he is of the little guy as well. The human teen knows just how much trust it must have taken to leave the chibi in her care.

She also realizes besides Seventeen, Dende, and Piccolo, she will be the only one on the Lookout that the chibi knows, and she is definitely the one that he feels the most comfortable with. Videl will have to help Goten adapt to the presence of everyone else, even though this will be her first time meeting them as well. As much as that makes her nervous, she will have to be strong for Goten.

Videl quickly loses her anxiousness over Gohan and Goken and becomes determined. She can now see the top of Korin's tower, and if Seventeen is right, then the Lookout is just above that point. As Videl flies above Korin's lookout, she makes a vow to herself and to Goten:

She will not let anything bad happen to Goten.

She loves Gohan, and she knows that if she let anything happen to the chibi that he would never forgive her. But more importantly, she truly loves Goten as well. Not only would Gohan not forgive her, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She is starting to see Goten as more than just her best friend's son, or even her own little brother. She is starting to develop a maternal protectiveness of the chibi as well.

Granted, she isn't as attached to Goten as Gohan is, but honestly, who _is _as attached as those two? While she has only known the chibi for a little over a year, and only really started seeing him every day for the better part of three months, Goten has really made a strong impact on her life, almost as much as Gohan has in fact.

While Videl will tell anyone that she loves children, she really hadn't had much experience with them until Goten came along. At first it was just playing with him while he was visiting with Gohan. That was the start of it all. Goten was so kind and pure hearted that she couldn't help but like him right off the bat.

Unlike other children she had seen in the past, Goten rarely got upset, and usually was very happy. He also was surprisingly obedient as well, never once questioning anything that Gohan had told him. The trust that she saw him put in Gohan was amazing, even for someone that he would consider his daddy.

Then, after the first time she watched the chibi at their home on her own when Gohan basically blew up on Piccolo and Dende, she started seeing him differently. When Goten had almost fallen out of the sky as he felt his daddy's intense emotions, Videl became incredibly worried. As soon as she caught him, she tried comforting him.

In that moment, she figured out what it truly meant to care for a child. She wanted so badly to rid Goten of his hurt and sadness. Seeing him like that had hurt her much more than she thought it would. In that moment, she would have done anything in order to make Goten smile again.

So she comforted the chibi like she had seen Gohan comfort him, and it worked to a certain extent. When Gohan had come home, she felt an immense amount of relief as she saw him calm Goten down further.

That was the first time she had seen Goten not only as Gohan's son, but her own little brother. She couldn't stand seeing him upset, and it was after that moment that she believes that she started loving the chibi. After he had been cheered up, he was so affectionate to her, and she really couldn't help but return those feelings.

And ever since then, her feelings of responsibility for the young demi-saiyan have gotten even stronger. As she continued to see him pretty much every day from that moment on, even spending some alone time with him as Gohan trained on his own, she started doing some activities with Goten that Gohan would usually do, such as make him snacks and put him down for naps. It was as if she was acting as a second parent.

A mom.

It struck her one of the nights that she had put Goten down for bed. She was staying late one night a week ago and Gohan had already said goodnight to the chibi, but he wanted her to tell him a story, something that she was delighted to do. That night, Goten muttered something as he drifted into dreamland.

"Goodnight mommy..."

And Videl has been thinking about it ever since.

Goten hasn't called her it again since that night. Perhaps she just thought she heard him say mommy and he was trying to say something else, but ever since that night, she hasn't been able to get the thought off of her mind.

She realizes now why she is starting to feel so protective of Goten. As she finally starts to see the Lookout in the sky, she realizes that she now sees Goten as more of her _own _son!

She admits that the thought truly scared her at first. After all, she is only sixteen. She doesn't exactly know anything about raising a kid! Unlike Gohan, she didn't have the motivation to take care of a child as her own before she met Goten. She also isn't nearly as experienced as Gohan either. She was worried about not being able to do it on her own.

But then she realized that she wouldn't be doing it on her own: she'd have Gohan to help her. The demi-saiyan has been taking care of Goten on his own for the past five years and has a ton of experience with the little guy. She could learn how to be a great parent with help from Gohan.

As much as she loves Goten, it was Gohan's love that really gave her confidence. She really does love Gohan with all of her heart, something that she is just now beginning to realize, and knows that as long as the demi-saiyan is in her life, she would be able to do anything.

This thought comforted her immensely, and the more she thought about it though, the more the idea began to grow on her. She could see herself tucking Goten in bed and kissing him goodnight; she could see herself cooking for him (even with his gigantic appetite); she could see herself taking care of him when he's sick or comforting him when he's sad. She could see herself caring for him like a parent.

As the thinks about it further, she finds herself delighted by the thought. She always has wanted to be a mom, and now she may have the opportunity. She smiles at the thought of Goten calling her 'mommy' as he calls Gohan 'daddy.'

Heck! Since she knows that she loves Gohan dearly and that after everything that has happened today that he is most likely her boyfriend now, she probably _should_ start seeing Goten as her own son since Gohan already sees him as _his _own son.

She can be the mom that the chibi never had.

These are the thoughts that flood her mind as she lands on the Lookout with Seventeen.

As she looks around, she notices that Seventeen and her were the last ones to the Lookout, probably since her ki level is the lowest out of everyone, so she was also the slowest flier. Everyone seems to be giving her strange looks. She figures that it's partly because of who her father is and partly because she is carrying Goten.

The attention unnerves the young Satan girl. She may be used to being the center of attention, but these are all of the people that her father insulted over the last six years. But more importantly, they are all people who are important to Gohan. She wants to make as good of an impression on them as she can.

However she doesn't get off to a very good start.

As she is about to say hello and introduce herself, Goten's eyes suddenly shoot open and he squirms around in Videl's arms, grabbing his chest in pain. He screams out, as if someone just set him on fire and grabs onto Videl possessively, crying into her shirt.

Everyone on the Lookout becomes incredibly shocked at the sudden outburst. It was so spontaneous that no one expected it in the slightest since he seemed to be in a content slumber. Now it's like he is under a great deal of pain and everyone is so dumbfounded by the scene that everyone is speechless.

Videl pales as she immediately goes into comfort mode. Goten only reacts this way if something bad happened to Gohan, and gauging from how severe the reaction of Goten is, something incredibly horrible happened.

And much to the teen's dread, she's right.

"DADDY'S DEAD!" Goten wails, making Videl's heart stop in its place.

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf


	18. Frozen

**A/N: Hey guys. I apologize for the delayed update, but ever since I posted my last chapter, my life has been incredibly hectic. I'll just give you guys a general overview. **

**Within an eight day period, that extended from Thursday October 3rd to Friday October 11th, I had a total of four full length exams in Pharmacotherapy, Advanced Pharmaceutical Preparations, Pharmacology, and Medical Literature Evaluation, a three part lab practical in APP, another lab that took a lot of time to prepare for, and a very difficult quiz in Pharmacokinetics. Then, this weekend, I had to prepare for my professional rotations that I have for the next two weeks, and as such am now working over 40 hours this week. **

**All in all, I haven't really been that busy. **

**So I hope you understand somewhat why this update is a bit late. However, I still realize that late updates are unacceptable, as I can take certain percautions to make sure they are on time, so I sincerely apologize for the delay. **

**That being said, I hope that you still enjoy this chapter! A few surprising things happen in this one that I don't think you would see coming, so I hope that this chapter is worth the wait I put you all through. **

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 17: Frozen

~Third Stage, Babidi's Spaceship, Age 772~

Goken smirks at the saiyan prince standing in front of him. Vegeta seems to be getting even more frustrated as the battle continues on. Obviously the prince thought that the demi-saiyan from the future would be a push over.

Clearly that isn't the case.

Vegeta quickly gets up from his self-made hot spring in the five foot deep snow below and quickly charges back into the air at Goken. Babidi gave them both the courtesy of fighting in a deserted place so he could get the most out if this battle, and ended up transporting his third stage of his ship the incredibly chilly and snowy 001 North District.

Currently, both saiyans are fighting in the middle of a violent blizzard, although due to the intense heat radiating off of both warriors, the scene is more akin to a category five hurricane. However, both fighters don't appear to be phased by the weather in the slightest, just continuing on with the battle as if it were a perfect day out.

As Vegeta starts his next offensive, he quickly grows frustrated as he sees that once again, the stupid brat from the future counters all of his moves expertly. He finds that fighting Goken is much different than fighting Kakarot, but more similar to how Kakarot's eldest fights.

For one, Goken is much more defensive than his grandfather. While Goku uses wit and instinct to force openings in his opponent's guard, the mirai teen uses speed and elusiveness to dodge and block all of his opponents attacks, instead getting his hits off of his opponent's mistakes via counters.

So far, Goken hasn't even launched a single offensive assault, yet, he's been able to knock Vegeta down to the snow four times while Vegeta has only knocked him down once. Granted, Vegeta hasn't really given Goken a chance to go on the offensive yet, but the teen has shown an excellent amount of patience so far.

Vegeta also finds it more difficult to fight as the battle goes on. True, all of his wounds are being healed as they happen thanks to Babidi's magic, but he is not only at his limits ki wise, but _beyond _them. As of right now, the only reason he is able to stay at the ki level he's at currently is only because Babidi is supplying him with the power magically. The longer the battle goes on, the more the wizard's magic is strained, and this high of a ki level can only be held for so long, a period of time that's shortened even further due to the fact that the wizard's failure to control Goku earlier made him even weaker as a consequence.

Goken meanwhile continues to put up his defense. Despite what it looks like, it hasn't been easy being patient with Vegeta. While it appears as if Goken is defending himself rather fluidly, it has in fact been a big challenge for him to dodge and block all of the saiyan prince's strikes. Vegeta has definitely been keeping the teen on his toes, and it's only thanks to countless hours of sparring with his sister that he's gotten so good at this.

But he finds it harder and harder for him to keep himself patient. As of right now, he still is in control of his underlying rage that he gets whenever he ascends to this level of super saiyan, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been tempted to just give into it and absolutely pulverize Vegeta. He doesn't trust himself to not kill him if he were to go into that rage.

He is brought out of his thoughts by a solid punch to the face by Vegeta. Using his remarkable agility, he quickly is able to block the saiyan prince's subsequent blows to his solar plexus and right side. He silently thanks his father for giving him his incredible speed and reflexes.

However, this makes him more angry, and once again, the teen has to suppress another wave of anger. His saiyan side is telling him that he shouldn't have let that blow land, and wants to make Vegeta pay.

Goken is relieved to find that Vegeta is indeed getting weaker. They have been fighting for over a half hour now and that blow hurt considerably less than others that he took near the beginning of the fight. He continues to block and dodge Vegeta's various attacks as they come, noticeably slower than before. Finally, after a particularly sloppy right hook, Goken takes his opportunity and counters the punch with his own straight to the saiyan prince's jaw, the force of the blow sending the prince flying towards the icy terrain below once more.

Goken looks on with impatience. As soon as Vegeta hits the snow below, the snow that he falls into melts instantly, making yet another custom hot spring in the ground. The saiyan prince seems to be taking his time getting out of this one and Goken, while glad for the break, finds his other side growling in impatience.

However, something in the back of his mind is telling him that something is not right. Despite the fact that he is pretty much handling Vegeta expertly, he can't help but feel as if something bad is happening. He frowns at the feeling, quickly trying to suppress it.

It seems though that it will not leave him alone! For one, Vegeta is taking a much longer time than normal to get up from his hit, a hit that Goken doesn't believe should have had that much of an impact on Vegeta, at least not at the ki level that he was fighting at.

Now Goken seems to be getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. He searches for kis around the area to find out if Babidi, seeing how badly Vegeta was doing against him, sent over the demon king as well. The teen admits that if that is the case, he would definitely have himself a challenge on his hands, as King Dabura is probably as powerful as he is at his max.

Goken sighs in relief as he notices that the demon king is not in fact over here, but actually quite a far distance away...

Right next to his grandfather...

And then that's when Goken realizes something.

He can't feel his father's ki.

The teen demi-saiyan from the future freezes in his spot, dread filling his being. This can't be happening! He feels King Dabura fighting his grandfather, faintly because of Babidi's magic, but he can't feel his father's ki at all. That can only mean one of two things. Either his ki is being cloaked, or he's dead.

He knows that if both King Dabura's ki and his grandfather's are raised high enough to be faintly felt through Babidi's ki cloak, then his father's should be as well! There's no way that Babidi should be able to completely mask his father's ki, especially since it is even stronger than King Dabura's.

Besides, that shouldn't even matter! He has a special connection with his father thanks to the parental bond that formed between the two of them the first time he was in this timeline, so even if his father's ki is present in the slightest, he should be able to feel it at least faintly, even if there is a cloaking spell on it. He desperately searches for Gohan's ki again, hoping that he can feel it at least a _little _bit.

But he still finds nothing...

And if that's the case...

Then his dad...

Before he has a chance to finish that dire thought, the teen's world fades to black.

* * *

~Diablo Desert, Mount Paoz, 439 Mountain District~

Gohan stares at the spot that Goken had just left from. Supreme Kai had briefly told both him and his father that their allotted time in the Living Realm was up and that they had to return to Other World, but Gohan wasn't even paying them any attention.

He's concerned for his son's wellbeing, even though he knows that Goken should be fine. The demi-saiyan can't help but worry though. He just got to see his son once again for the first time in years and he's already fighting for his life! Isn't this exactly what he promised himself that he wouldn't let happen?

He feels like he should have gone and fought Vegeta instead! He should never have to send his son off to fight to survive, just so he can have some time to talk to his father.

"Goken will be alright."

Gohan narrows his eyes as he turns them back to his father, the one who made that statement. His father has since powered down from his super saiyan 2 state and is now in his base form, although Gohan doesn't remember his father powering down. He crosses his arms and scowls at Goku. "You would know wouldn't you. After all, you are the expert at sending your son out to fight for his life."

Goku visibly winces at the jab, but quickly covers it up. Gohan hastily continues before his father can comment on that statement. "You know, I should feel angry. You abandoned your youngest son and your wife because you were presented an opportunity that you couldn't refuse in Other World. And because of that decision, mom went into a depression that ended up killing her. I should feel absolutely livid with you for not only taking away Goten's father, but his mother as well.

"But do you know what? All I feel for you is pity. I feel sorry for you. You missed out on something amazing. You missed out on Goten's life. Back when you made the decision to stay in Other World, you threw that away, and now you missed out on your youngest son's life, something that I personally treasure more than anything else in the universe.

"That's what makes me so angry about this whole thing!" He continues furiously. "I can't believe that you could choose training in Other World over coming back to Goten and mom."

"I did it to protect you guys!" Goku adamantly retorts back, feeling like he's being falsely accused of something. "I did it because I was a magnet for danger! I wanted to come back, I _really _did, but I felt that the world would have been safer if I didn't!"

"Well that sure worked well didn't it," Gohan retorts sarcastically. "What do you call this mess that we're in right now?! According to the supreme kai, _I _was the target! Did you ever think just once that villains might target _me _when they saw that you weren't around?! Did you?!"

Goku just looks on blankly as his son continues by letting out a bitter laugh. "It's ironic really. By deciding to stay away in order to 'protect' your family, you ended up putting them in even more danger. But it doesn't matter now anyways. I refuse to let the same thing happen to Goten, or Goken for that matter. Unlike you, who tosses his family aside as soon as he gets a training opportu-"

"I _didn't _just toss you aside!" Goku cries, tears streaming down his face. He can't take much more this. Gohan's accusations about him not caring about his family are like daggers to the heart. "Gohan, I _love _you-"

"Bull crap!" Gohan shouts back, now incredibly livid. He's had it with his father's lies. He's tired of his father's act. "If you loved me, why did you leave us!? Why did you leave Goten and mom?! Why'd you leave _me_?!"

Now the demi-saiyan has tears rolling down his cheeks as his true problem comes out. "I needed you daddy! After mom died, I was all alone! Now, not only had my dad left me, but my mom had too! It didn't matter that Bulma had adopted both Goten and me; I didn't have any of my parents left!

"But then I remembered that when mom died, I wasn't the only one who lost a mother and father, Goten did too. He was abandoned just like I was. I love that kid more than you can imagine, and I knew that I was the one that needed to raise him, no matter how unprepared I may have been. I knew that I had to be his dad, which is a role that I am eternally grateful I got to adopt.

"However, Piccolo said it best. I may be Goten's dad, but I could never claim to be his father. The only person that can do that is you, yet you tossed that responsibility aside as if it were a disgusting chore. It really amazes me how stupid you could be to do that."

Goku stays silent, listening to his son intently. He can't believe what he's hearing! He's trying to comprehend just what his son has been through in his absence, but is having a really hard time. This is all because he left?

However, it's only just begun.

"Then, I couldn't help but remember that you could have come back," Gohan continues, oblivious to the increasingly guilty look on Goku's face. "One of my parents still could have been here, and it was very likely that if you would have come back that mom wouldn't have died either. As I thought about it more and more, I started to put together the truth, and soon realized that you really didn't care for us at all. Any of us!

"You really have no clue what you put me through. Back when I was still living with Bulma, I could see everyone look at me as if I were a reminder of your death. It was so depressing I couldn't take it anymore! I had to get away from everyone, because you had abandoned them too! So I took Goten away and went into hiding, eluding everyone else and raising him on my own for four and a half years. During that time, I underwent some of the most horrifying nightmares I've ever had to go through. It was almost too much to handle, and I truly believe that I probably wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for Goten!"

Goku gasps at that last statement. He never would have guessed that his son would have been affected this much from his absence. His son is right: he really had no idea what Gohan has been going through since his death.

The thought enrages the full blooded saiyan, but not in the usual way. Goku is furious at himself for not seeing this coming. Gohan's absence in his life has affected him greatly, always making him wonder how his son was doing. He missed his son an incredible amount, and he should have realized that thanks to the bond that the two of them had that his son would miss him just as much.

Gohan meanwhile is now shaking with rage. Admitting that just makes him more angry. He puts his hand to his head and starts shaking it in a desperate attempt to calm himself down. "No dad," he adds calmly, his voice cracking somewhat under the strain that he is putting himself under to keep his head under control. "I don't believe that you love me. If you do, then you wouldn't have left me five years ago. You would have come back. If you love me like you claim you do, then why didn't you come back?"

"Because I was a baka!" Goku shouts, his anger finally getting the best of him. The dead saiyan has been silent up to this point, trying to understand exactly what is going through Gohan's head. Up until his son's last statement, he regretfully admits that he agrees with his son's assessment. He _did _abandon his friends and his wife along with Goten. But most importantly, he abandoned Gohan.

But if there's one thing that Goku knows is a fact of life, it's that he definitely loves Gohan. He loves his son more than anything else! It kills him that by not coming back, he let him believe otherwise, but he will _not _let him believe a lie anymore.

"Look," he continues vehemently, "I admit that when King Kai had told me about the training opportunities when I first arrived in Other World, that it made it much more appealing to stay than it did prior. I also admit that it did influence my decision a bit.

"But Gohan," he adds, a few more tears streaming down his face as his voice starts to get shaky. "I made that decision for you! I knew that you already loved Goten like a son, and that you were going to take a more paternal role in his life regardless of what decision I made. I didn't want to interfere with that relationship.

"However, I was a baka to think that your mother would be alright with me not living anymore. I should have known that she would have gotten wildly depressed due to the saiyan mating bond, but I didn't. You're right. If I would have come back, she probably would be alive right now.

"But my biggest regret has to do with you son," he adds, causing Gohan to raise an eyebrow. This confession from his father was unexpected, or at least the genuinely of it. Now he wants to hear what his father is talking about.

"Gohan," Goku continues, "I regret treating you as if you had already grown up. You had acted so mature that I had seen you as an adult, rather than an eleven year old child that needed his father.

"I remember the way that you took the news when I had told you that I was staying. You told me that you supported my decision because you trusted that I had thought it through and that I was making the right decision. I really was a baka to not see how much you truly needed me, because in my eyes, you had already grown up."

Goku looks Gohan in the eyes, and the demi-saiyan can't help but stare right back intently. "I want you to know Gohan that I love you and that if I would have seen that you needed me, I wouldn't have hesitated in the slightest to come back with you. I know now that the decision I made was wrong, and I'm so incredibly sorry that I made the decision to stay dead instead of come home. I know I can't do anything about it anymore. I only hope that you can forgive me."

With that, Goku breaks eye contact and looks towards the ground. He truly is ashamed of himself for not knowing his son enough to be able to see that he truly needed him all of those years ago... that he still needs him now.

Gohan looks deeply at his father and can see that he has a genuine look of regret on his face. It is completely different than what he remembers, although for some reason, it's familiar as well. It's then that he realizes something.

His father died protecting him; he died keeping him from dying. He also remembers doing the same thing for his children. The demi-saiyan knew this already of course. He's had nightmares about the event consistently over the last five years since the event happened. He doesn't think he'll ever forget it.

In his nightmares however, he also recalls his father's decision to stay in Other World. Goku always has a nonchalant way of saying that he doesn't want to come back home, saying that he wants to stay and train with King Kai in Other World. He always would say that he would have so much more fun there, and that he really didn't need his family at all. This always led up to a half-hearted confession by Goku that he really doesn't care about what happens to his family as long as he gets a good fight.

This is the main premise to all of the abandonment issues Gohan has been having with his father. After his mother died, his depression twisted his mind into believing that this is what really happened. After all, he was left parentless, and his father could have come back, but he didn't, and after constant reinforcement in his dreams, it sure seemed like this was the case to Gohan.

However, it is in this moment that he remembers another, completely different conversation with his father; his _real_ conversation with his father when he explained why he was staying in Other World.

* * *

**~North Snake Way, Upper Heaven, Other World, Age 768~**

**Goku sighs. It's now or never.**

**"Hold on Gohan," the saiyan interrupts. "I think it's time to tell you something you should know."**

**Gohan is taken aback by the somber expression on his dad's face. Is this it? Is he about to spill his secret? "Okay dad…" the demi-saiyan replies, his mood dropping from his cheerful one to a more neutral one. Even though he knows what's coming, he still doesn't know if he's ready to hear it.**

**Goku takes a deep breath before he continues. Oh how he dreaded this moment so! "Okay…" Goku starts. "Gohan, I think that you should know that…. that I have…" Goku breaks off at that and tries to regain his composure. Why does this have to be so hard?! Finally after a few moments, he regains confidence and decides to just get it over with before he loses it again. "Gohan, I think you should know that I have decided to stay here in Other World permanently." The saiyan closes his eyes and waits or the tears to come…**

**But they never do.**

**Goku opens his eyes and looks over towards his son to see a blank expression on his face. He inwardly grimaces since he knows that his son is processing the words he just spoke. As soon as he notices his dad looking at him however, Gohan immediately comes back into reality, though his mood is still a bit down.**

**"I understand dad," Gohan starts, shocking both Goku and King Kai in the utmost. They both thought he would be devastated by the news. "I know that you wouldn't have made this decision without thinking it through, so could you please just tell me what you're thinking?" Gohan says all of this with a neutral tone, once again stunning both spectators.**

**While outwardly Gohan appears to be handling the information well, inside he's devastated. Even though he knew it was coming, hearing his dad actually say it makes it seem all the more real. Before, there was still a shred of hope that his saiyan counterpart was wrong about the whole thing. However, once the words actually left his father's mouth, that was the final straw, and the hammer was laid down. **

**He's not coming back.**

**Still, Gohan doesn't want to get emotional in front of his father. This is because even though deep down, he really wants his father to come home, he doesn't want to influence his father's decision by making him feel guilty. Like he said before, his father probably has a great reason for not coming back, so it must be incredibly important, so important in fact, that he is willing to give the rest of his life on Earth up to fulfil it. Gohan doesn't want to be the one to make his father change his mind just because of his selfish desires if it really is that important.**

**Gohan truly is a Son.**

**Goku still is quite shocked at his son's outward appearance. He truly thought that Gohan would be hugging him tightly, crying and begging him to come back. He figures that the training must have done wonders for his mental stability. But still, this outward stoic appearance is a bit too unnerving for the saiyan and he just has to ask his son what's up. "Wow Gohan, to be quite honest, I thought you would take the news much harder."**

**"I did… when I first found out…" Gohan explains to his father, who once again has eyes the size of dinner plates. It's really taking every bit of Gohan's emotional control to not charge his dad and beg him to come home. He's actually surprised that he has this much control. That merger really did give him more control in many aspects.**

**"Y-you knew?" Both Goku and King Kai say indignantly at the same time.**

**Gohan chuckles at their appearance, although he is ****crying ****on the inside. "Yes, it was completely obvious since every time I mentioned us returning to Earth, King Kai would shoot you nervous or angry glance and then you would grimace. I just wanted to hear it from you dad to confirm my suspicions. I know that you wouldn't stay without a good reason, so I would like to know what it is."**

**Goku takes a deep breath once again. This may be even harder than telling his son he's not coming home. Sure to him, the reasons make sense and he knows that the choice he made is the right one; however, to his son, he might take blame. He knows his son better than anyone, and he doesn't care how much training he's done, Goku still believes that his son will not take it lightly.**

**Finally after working up the courage once again, Goku finally tells his reasons to his son. He tells him everything: how he had a feeling that he was bound to die ever since before the Cell Games and how Bojack's appearance just reaffirmed that feeling; he tells him about his reasoning on how every villain seems to be coming to fight him; he tells him about how he thought that taking the great risk of a threat to come to the Earth just so he can come back to life a second time (Goku emphasizes the point that it would be his second time being resurrected) would be just selfish; he also tells him about how he reconsidered this decision after Goten was born and was actually going to come back until Gohan proved to him that he would be an excellent father to Goten in his place.**

**At this point, Gohan is really taking the news hard and it's starting to show on his face as tears leak out of his eyes. Goku notices this and really reiterates the point that he believes that him living on Earth would bring about more trouble than good. He stresses to Gohan that he wants Goten to have a childhood where he doesn't have to go through what he did and grow up too fast: he wants Goten to have a peaceful childhood full of laughter and happiness. It is at this point where Gohan, while there are still tears in his eyes, nods in understanding.**

**"I… I think I understand where you're coming from dad…" Gohan finally manages to choke out. "But dad… do you really think that the threats will stop coming just because you're not there?"**

**"Gohan," Goku replies gently. He knows that his is hard on the chibi. Heck! It's hard on him! "I honestly don't know for sure. Will there always be a chance for a villainous alien or android coming to take the Earth? There's always that chance. But I seriously believe that that chance will be significantly smaller if I'm not there to draw the attention of them."**

**Gohan once again nods in understanding, but another thought comes to mind. He has to hold back a sob before he continues. "But dad, how can you expect me to be as good of a father as you were to me to Goten? I may be mature for my age, but I'm not you…"**

**Goku gives his son a soft smile before he replies. He knows his answer to this and he's known it for a while now. "Gohan, I don't expect you to be as good as I was… I expect you to be better!"**

**Gohan stumbles backwards in shock. "Better?!" Gohan relies, too shocked to say anything else.**

**The father sighs once more and looks his son in the eyes as he continues his explanation. "Trust me Gohan, you do not want to be like me when it comes to being a father."**

**Goku explains to his son that he missed out on a lot of his childhood. He gives examples such as how he could have come back to life after he got killed sooner, but had refused to get some more training in with King Kai. He then brings up the example of how he could have returned right away after escaping Planet Namek's destruction, but once again refused so he could master the instant transmission, which he reveals ****to ****Gohan that he could honestly have done at home. Then, when he did spend time with Gohan, it was preparing for the androids so they would always be fighting. While he knows that Gohan never regretted that time, Goku tells him that he wishes that he could have spent some more personal relaxing time with his son that didn't involve going at each other's throats. He adds that this is the main reason why during the nine days before the Cell Games, he acted the way he did. He had that feeling that he was going to die in the back of his mind and he wanted to spend as much time with his son as possible in ways that didn't involve sparring.**

**Gohan is speechless. He never would have guessed that his father felt this way about his role as his father. Gohan thought he was an excellent father, despite all of the things he just said.**

**"The point is Gohan," the saiyan continues. "I want you to learn from my mistakes. Spend as much time with Goten as you can. Cherish every moment. I know I wish I did…" Goku trails off. Getting all of that off of his chest took a lot out of him emotionally, yet he refuses to show signs of it. He needs to be strong for his son!**

**Gohan however walks over to his father and embraces him. He has finally come to terms with the fact that his father isn't coming back. Sure, he's sad that he's going to be gone permanently, but he finally knows his father's reasoning. He might not agree with some of the aspects, especially the one where he believes that he wasn't that great of a dad, but he accepts his father's reasoning and can see where he's coming from. He knows that his father truly believes that this is the best course of action.**

**"Thank you dad…" Gohan genuinely says. "…for everything!"**

* * *

~Diablo Desert, Mount Paoz, 439 Mountain District, Present Time~

That's where Gohan recognizes the current look on his father's face; there was _genuine_ regret when he told him about not being there that much in his childhood. Gohan realizes that Goku didn't really want to stay in Other World.

As he remembers that conversation, he sees all of the emotions going through Goku as he tells him his reasoning for staying. His father truly wanted to come home with him, but chose to stay, not to train, but to protect him and Goten, as well as his mother. His father truly believed that it was the best course of action.

It is now that Gohan realizes that his nightmares aren't real, and that they were just his mind's way of coping with the situation of his mother's death. He couldn't place the blame of his father's death-and thus the death of his mother-on himself because he already dealt with that in that very conversation with his father, so instead, he instinctively placed it on Goku. All of the evidence seemed to point to Goku with everything he had learned about saiyan mating, but for whatever reason, the demi-saiyan never opened himself up to the reasoning that his father didn't know about the effects of him staying in Other World had on his mate in the first place.

Gohan believed for almost five years that Goku really didn't care much about being a parent to him and Goten, or at least that he cared about fighting much more than his family, but he had explained in that conversation that he truly believed that Gohan would be able to take care of Goten appropriately, and that if he had any doubts about that that he would have chosen to come back.

He had also told Gohan that he believed his eldest son to be responsible and mature enough to be an adult, despite his young age, but Gohan admits that he is at fault for his father's perception.

Outwardly, he acted like an adult. After all, when you've had to fight for your life and live on your own for an extended period of time, you mature naturally from your experiences, and that is exactly what happened to Gohan. Throw in a faster developing mind due to a combination of genetics and his mother's strict schooling regimen, and you've got yourself a very precocious child with wisdom beyond his years.

However deep down, Gohan still was a child. He was only eleven years old when his father had decided not to come back. As he further remembers that conversation with his father back in Other World, he remembers his desperate desire for his father to come home.

But Gohan had decided to suppress those desires and instead allow his father to make a non-biased decision on that matter. Based on that conversation, Gohan knows that if he had told his father that he needed him in that moment that Goku wouldn't have hesitated to come home.

But he didn't.

And now his father can't come back.

In all honesty, Gohan truly believed in that moment of time that he really _didn't_ need his father to raise him. Gohan admits that a part of him accepting his father's decision originally is because his mother was still around to raise him, but the bigger reason was Goku's confidence in him. His father had freely admitted that he believed Gohan to be mature enough to raise his younger brother as his own son, and through that confidence, Gohan had confidence in himself.

Gohan looks at his father again. He has already asked him for forgiveness for a mistake that he made, and it's clearly obvious that it's been eating him up this entire time; the plea in his eyes gives it away. Gohan believes that his father should have come back when he had the opportunity to five years ago, and by the way Goku has been acting throughout this conversation, he agrees wholeheartedly. However, he can't come back, realizing his mistake too late, but the point is that he realizes that he was wrong all those years ago.

The demi-saiyan could never stay mad at his father before…

Now is no different.

"Dad," he start hesitantly, choking back a few tears. Goku is looking at him with a resounding amount of hope shining in his eyes and it makes Gohan smile at the dead saiyan. "I-I forgive you."

Goku's eyes widen and glaze over, stunned at his son's response. However, after the words sink in, he breaks in to a face-splitting grin and charges his son to secure a hug. He sheds a few tears of joy and pure relief now knowing that his son forgives him for his mistake. After everything that Gohan has told him, he was beginning to lose hope that he may never see that forgiveness again.

Gohan meanwhile is an emotional wreck. This is the first time since his mother's death that he feels truly at peace with himself. He really needed to get this off of his chest with his father. The anger and resentment with the man he once loved dearly was killing him on the inside. Now finally, after four and a half years, Gohan is free from that hatred. He welcomes his father's embrace wholeheartedly and for that moment, both saiyans are in a moment of bliss.

However... that moment is short lasting...

Because due to their overflowing emotions, both of them fail to notice King Dabura closing in behind Gohan.

As soon as Gohan releases his father from his embrace, he feels something wet suddenly on his arm. Curious, he looks down at the point and his eyes widen significantly as he sees that his arm is turning to stone...

And the stone is quickly spreading!

The last thing Gohan sees is the grinning face of the demon king before the stone effect takes over his head. All of this occurs within seconds, and by the time Goku even is able to realize something is wrong, Gohan is nothing more than a lawn ornament.

The dead saiyan looks on in shock, finally seeing the demon's handiwork. Not even ten seconds ago, Gohan was right there, hugging him after finally forgiving him for leaving all those years ago. Now, his son is frozen in stone, petrified indefinitely with no ki whatsoever to trace him by.

The thing that disturbs the saiyan the most about this however is the look on his son's face. Gohan's face is frozen in an expression of fear, looking into the sky. Tears immediately start to trickle out of his eyes at the sight of his son. That is the same expression that Gohan had when Bojack had him bound and had accepted his death.

"Haha! I should have done that right from the start!" A deep voice chuckles from the air.

Goku immediately looks up into the sky and sees the demon laughing his head off at his son's demise. He continues to watch wide eyed as Dabura continues. "Yes, that would have made my job a whole lot easier before, but whatever. The task is done." The demon then looks down at Goku, smirking at the look on the saiyan's face. "In fact, I'd say this worked out even better, because I've got you to fight now. Remember, the only way to turn your friends back to normal is to kill me, which you will obvious never be able to do!" He then throws his head back and lets out a booming chuckle. The laughter is dark and deadly in its nature, sending chills through the air.

Goku however can only see Gohan, having since turned his attention back to his statue of a son, and can't help but feel guilty. His guilt however quickly turns to anger as he continues to hear the demon king laugh his head off at his son's demise.

Gohan had just forgiven him! He was about to start a new chapter in their relationship, one filled with forgiveness and mutual trust. He was about to get his son back after five incredibly long, painful years! But then this had to happen, and this demon is responsible for it! The dead saiyan stares at Gohan closer. He can feel himself slipping at the sight of his son turned to stone, the son he cherishes more than life itself. The anger that he was feeling before against Vegeta is coming back tenfold, and it is starting to rear its ugly head once again.

Goku's eyes flash back at the demon, who is still laughing. He had said that to turn Gohan back, he would have to be killed. The dead saiyan has never wanted to kill anyone before, not Frieza, or even Cell, but as he glances at Gohan again, and then back at the demon, he finds himself for the first time in his life actually _wanting_ to kill Dabura.

Goku's eyes harden as they turn teal and his hair turns blond and spikes up; he growls as a golden aura appears around his form and the winds pick up, forming a twister of sand as he starts to gather his power to make the ascension to the next level; he glares daggers at his opponent, who had stopped laughing at the sudden efflux of ki and his now smirking, as the sky starts to darken as clouds form around the full-blooded saiyan; he lets out an ear-piercing scream as a stray lightning bolt from the clouds strikes his form and he succeeds in ascending to the next level.

The dead saiyan's transformation becomes complete as his ki levels off above anything he has ever reached; his hair is glowing golden and spiked straight up, with only three bangs hanging down; his body has bulked up with muscle, giving him an extra few inches in height, however the most surprising aspect is his eyes. They are not pupil-less like they were before. No. They are the normal turquoise color that a super saiyan 2 would have.

The reason this comes a surprise is due to the fact that he is angrier than he's ever been; however, thanks to the peace of mind that the conversation with his son earlier brought him, he is now able to completely control himself in his super saiyan two state. But although this is the case, it doesn't change the fact that he is furious, and it doesn't change the fact that deep down, Goku vehemently wants to kill Dabura.

So that's what he attempts to do.

As soon as the dramatics of his transformation die down, he launches himself at the demon king, ready for a battle to the death.

He however doesn't know of the consequences that such a battle would entail, putting him in an incredibly dangerous and risky spot. Due to the fact that he's dead, he cannot die again. Normally, this would be a good thing. If he were to 'die' in Other World, there would be no real consequence other than having to wait a few weeks to let himself heal back since the atmosphere of Other World is supplying his ki energy as well as supporting his life. Essentially, in Other World, he is immortal.

However, that completely changes in the Living Realm. The only reason Goku is able to be in the Living Realm in the first place is due to the fact that he has a magical spell cast on him that protects him from the wear and tear of that world. He really doesn't belong in the Living Realm since it doesn't have the supporting properties that Other World does.

So if Goku were to die in the living realm, the consequences of that would be much different. Since there are no properties to support a dead soul in the Living Realm, if he were to be killed again, Goku would cease to exist. His soul would essentially die from the harsh environment since his body that is protected with the spell is no longer able to support the soul.

So by charging into this battle with the king of the demons, he's not only risking his life, but his existence! If he fails to beat Dabura and the demon king ends up killing him, then there would be no Goku Son anymore; he would cease to exist.

Blinded by his emotions, Goku immediately goes on the offensive against the demon king. Dabura is initially surprised at how much he has to work in order to keep up his defence, the only reason that he is able to being that Goku's movements are so predictable due to his anger. The saiyan's hits are coming in red hot and incredibly powerful. The demon struggles to find an opening, and eventually, Goku gets the best of him with one of his erratic punches actually hitting home in the demon's solar plexus. This knocks the winds out of the demon as he goes flying through the air.

He immediately recovers himself and puts up his defence again since Goku comes charging after him as predicted. The dead saiyan has tears in his eyes, the pain of losing his son really starting to hit home and making him not only angry, but immensely sad as well, and looking at the demon who causes this to happen only makes these emotions worse. However, this works against the saiyan as his technique gets even sloppier as he is failing to focus on just the fight now.

Goku has completely become overridden with the desire to kill Dabura, and as such, his fighting is suffering. He lost his true motivation to fight–to protect those he loves–and instead replaced it with the motivation of revenge on the one who essentially killed his son. This change in the nature of his motivation is affecting Goku in such a negative way that he becomes blinded by what is truly going on and instead just wants to make Dabura suffer.

It looks like Goku finally realizes what Gohan went through all those years ago at the Cell Games.

Indeed the situations are almost identical. Cell made Gohan suffer through all of his friends suffering; Goku had to suffer through Gohan's suffering. Gohan had to witness someone who deserved nothing less than to be able to live their life in peace die in front of his eyes when Cell crushed Android Sixteen's head; Goku had to witness his son die when he got turned to stone right in front of his face; Gohan exploded with fury and wanted nothing more than to see Cell suffer at his hand before he finally killed him in cold blood; Goku feels the exact same way about King Dabura.

However… there is one key difference in both situations.

In Gohan's situation, he actually was so much more powerful than Cell that it didn't matter that he wasn't himself or that he lost sight of his true motivation; the ki advantage was so incredibly large that he had no trouble executing his plan.

Goku on the other hand doesn't have that luxury. Dabura is _much_ more powerful than Cell was back then. He is also a more skilled fighter as well, and is able to use the fact that Goku's mental state is unstable to his advantage. Goku may be more powerful than he ever was, but his ki still isn't as strong as Dabura's.

And it's starting to become apparent.

Dabura has started to use Goku's erratic movements against him. With every wasted movement of Goku's, the demon has been landing a few blows of his own on the saiyan via counters. These blows aren't that powerful, but he has been getting them more consistently as each exchange goes on. He is actually luring the dead saiyan into a trap.

The demon king has been increasing his ki output little by little as the battle continues on. As Goku keeps up his blind, rage driven assault Dabura keeps up his counters, adding more and more 'oomph' behind each of his blows. Then, when the saiyan tires out, that's when he will strike with his most powerful assault. Unfortunately, since the ship isn't here, he isn't gathering any ki for Buu, but that isn't his main concern anyways.

He's frustrated that he has to use so much of his true power to fight this saiyan, but it also excites him. This is the first time he is really testing the true depths of his amazing power. True, he is disobeying his direct orders from his master, who has instructed him to quickly kill off the two saiyans while they were off guard and then return to the field of battle, but this opportunity was too good for the demon to pass up. He knew if he fought Gohan that he might actually die since that he witnessed first-hand just how much ki got extracted from the demi-saiyan earlier, but he knew that Goku would give him a good challenge without having to risk his life.

The only barrier between his fight though was the fact that he noticed earlier that Goku needed to be extremely angry in order to transform into the more powerful form of super saiyan. That however wasn't an issue for the demon as he also discovered earlier that Goku has a sensitive spot when it comes to his son, so Dabura really got to kill two birds with one demi-saiyan shaped stone.

Goku meanwhile is huffing and puffing. He has been going for ten straight minutes, and he only has a few bruises on King Dabura to show for it. He has been going all out, but is hasn't gotten him anywhere! King Dabura is still breathing and very much alive, and that frustrates the dead saiyan to no end. He is about to start attacking again only to het cut off by a kick to his face. The sudden attack caught him so off guard that his head snaps backwards and he loses control of his ki, in turn making him lose control of his flight. He falls about ten feet before Dabura zooms down below the saiyan and head butts him in the back, both of his razor sharp horns piercing the dead saiyans back.

Fortunately for Goku, the demon missed his vital organs, but it still makes him scream out in pain. King Dabura smirks, licking the blood that makes it to his lips before flicking his head to the side and dislodging the saiyan from his head and towards the ground. He then decides that the saiyan isn't falling fast enough, so he flies with great haste to Goku's position and jackhammers Goku with all of his strength, sending the dead saiyan towards the ground at a velocity greater than the speed of sound.

This of course makes a gigantic crater in the ground. Goku is entrenched in a hole about a half a mile deep and a quarter mile wide. He appears to be incredibly hurt as he drops out of his super saiyan 2 transformation and even his much better controlled super saiyan transformation. The twitching movements that he has however signal that the dead saiyan is still conscious, albeit barely, and in much pain.

Dabura looks on at his handiwork smirking before letting out a frustrated sigh. That saiyan wasn't as challenging as he thought. True, he did have to tap into his full power to actually get the saiyan in the state that he's in right now, but the whole time he was just bidding his time for the right moment. He was hoping that Goku would at least be able to get up from that last assault and keep fighting, but alas, it looks as if he won't be going anywhere anytime soon, so he just huffs impatiently as he lets the saiyan recover.

He however is interrupted by his master's squeaky high voice.

"_What are you doing Dabura?!" Babidi screeches through his telepathic link with his slave. "Kill that saiyan right now you nitwit! I ordered you to take him out along with his good for nothing son! Do it quickly before–"_

The telepathic communication however is interrupted with a gigantic ki blast that is heading towards Dabura. The demon's eyes widen before he swiftly dodges it and looks down at the source of the blast.

And his eyes widen upon seeing who was actually responsible for such a powerful blast.

"No one get to kill Kakarot but me!" Vegeta yells up at the demon in all of his super saiyan glory. The saiyan prince appears to have regained control of himself. Gone is the symbol of the Majin on his forehead. The crimson lightning has disappeared, and the blood red aura has changed to golden. But most of all, gone is the cold aura that the prince have off.

Vegeta quickly takes a glance at the crater that Goku is in, now seeing that his fellow full blooded saiyan is unconscious. He then takes a look around and sees that Gohan has indeed been turned into stone as he feared. The saiyan prince was cleaver enough to use the connection that Babidi had with him while he was still under the wizard's spell to his advantage, and he was able to see that Babidi had ordered his other slave to kill off the father and son. Then, when he got hit down into the snow the last time by Goken, he was able to tap into Dabura's mind. It was only for an instant before he lost the connection, but in that instant, he was able to see what the demon had planned, and apparently his plan came to be.

He figured something bad had happened to the eldest brat when he saw the brat from the future pale and drop his guard. Knowing from experience how volatile the brat's temper can be, he quickly knocked him unconscious before he would do anything rash.

That's when Vegeta broke the wizard's spell on him: when he realized that something dire happened to Gohan. Vegeta would never show it outwardly, and if it was even mentioned by anyone else, he would promise them instant death, but over the last six years, the saiyan prince truly started to actually _care_ for Gohan. Just as Bulma suspected, Vegeta has a bit of a protective edge over Gohan.

It partly has to do with the fact that Gohan is a saiyan, albeit only half, but still a saiyan nonetheless. He is one of only four remaining members of his dying race. But the bigger part of it is the respect that the demi-saiyan earned.

When Gohan had transformed into a super saiyan 2 the first time against Cell, Vegeta had been furious. He was not only surpassed by a third class clown, but that same clown's son now, who was not even a third of his age. It was absolutely preposterous how he was able to achieve a power that he, the prince of all saiyans, couldn't. He spent the following months after the Cell Games throwing himself around in the gravity chamber, striving with all of his being to get stronger. Then, much to his continued chagrin, at the Intergalactic Tournament, he finds out that even that training wasn't enough to keep up with his rival, and thus he became incredibly furious.

However, his hatred of the two who had surpassed him was greatly diminished after the events of the finals of said tournament. He found out that not only had Kakarot given his life to save his son's, but that Gohan had done the same for his children. Vegeta, knowing the parental bond that he has with his son, knew why they both did what they did, and he respected them both for that sacrifice.

But what he didn't understand was Kakarot's decision afterwards.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, even Bulma, Vegeta lost a lot of respect for Kakarot that day, and actually gained a lot of empathy for Gohan. Again, knowing the bond that he has with his son, he couldn't rationalize what Kakarot was thinking. It was as if he was abandoning his son! Not only that, but he was putting his mate in grave danger. That day, Vegeta had predicted that Chichi would die within that year from the grief, and that prediction came true.

So he didn't protest at all when his mate had decided to take in the demi-saiyan and his infant brother. The saiyan prince, knowing what it's like to get abandoned by your father, developed a sense of responsibility for the parentless demi-saiyan. He honestly could have cared less for his little brother, as that brat had Gohan to look after him (not to mention that he looked too much like Kakarot for his liking), and he was also aware of the parental bond that the elder demi-saiyan had with the infant.

When the brat had taken off with his brother, Vegeta was furious. He had not physically gone after the demi-saiyan, but he had kept his ki sensing honed to catch any blip in ki that Gohan could create. It would take another four and a half years, but eventually, the saiyan prince felt the ki when the brat had exploded on the Lookout. He left in an instant, secretly hoping to be able to bring the brat back.

But when he heard about how he was taking care of his brother as his own son, and on his own nonetheless, that's when Gohan had gained Vegeta's respect completely. The saiyan prince had figured when Gohan had left that he left due to a wild depression, and while that was certainly the case, he didn't let that affect how he raised his brother. The demi-saiyan had managed to pull off one of the most difficult tasks that one could ask a twelve year old, and that is what sealed the deal for Vegeta.

So it's true Vegeta cares for Gohan, almost as a guardian, and it was this affection that gave him the ability to break Babidi's spell. The wizard had already been weakened by his earlier attempt to take over Kakarot, and he was weakened even further by the amount of ki he was pumping into the saiyan. Couple that with the fact that the evil in Vegeta's heart that he was grabbing on to was much smaller than he's used to and he didn't have the magical power to keep a hold of Vegeta once the saiyan prince fought against his enslavement.

Vegeta looks at Gohan again, and then back at Dabura. He glares at the demon king, who is still shocked that he broke the wizard's spell. He knows that he can turn Gohan back to normal by killing Dabura, but he also knows that the demon is more powerful than him. Gohan was the only one who was powerful enough to actually kill the demon in a fair battle, and now he's a stalagmite. Kakarot had tried and failed against the demon if the state he's in is anything to go by. The only other person that would even have a chance would be Goken, but he would be too emotionally unstable to fight, and would most likely end up like Goku. Besides, he's knocked out at the moment anyways.

The saiyan prince can think of only one way that he can take out the demon king…

And he can't believe that he is actually planning on going through with it.

Vegeta has come to realize that he is now the only one that can stop this, and if he doesn't, then Dabura will reign supreme, and the demon's master will most likely destroy the Earth. When he came to Earth ten years ago, he wouldn't have cared less about the Earth, but much has happened since then. He started a family and fell in love with a proud, spunky, stubborn earthling woman, and had a son of his own with her. Now Vegeta may not ever really show it outwardly, but he truly loves both his son and his mate, and as such, he will not let anything happen to them. The proud saiyan would rather sacrifice his life than allow them both to die.

And that's what he plans to do.

The saiyan prince gathers his ki. He knows that what he's going to do is going to kill him, but he's the only one left who can fight. Vegeta is a true saiyan warrior, an extremely proud one at that, and he would rather die fighting to the death anyways. Instantly, he charges the demon, who is still in the same spot in the air. He stops short of the demon, and points to him.

"If you want a good fight, follow me and I will kill you!" The saiyan prince announces confidently. He knows that he needs to get away so that Kakarot and Gohan don't get caught in the blast radius, and he believes that the demon would not pass up this opportunity.

And Vegeta's prediction was correct.

"Haha!" the demon laughs incredulously. "Very well! It is rather comical that you think you can actually defeat me, but if you are so eager to die, I guess it would be courteous for me to let you pick the spot of your grave."

Vegeta smirks. That couldn't have gone any better. "Hmph. If you think I will be such a pushover you are sadly mistaken, but you'll soon see that for yourself." Vegeta then bolts away from the Diablo Desert, Dabura on his heels.

After he figures he's far enough away, Vegeta stops mid-air. Dabura stops in front of the saiyan, smirking at him. Vegeta isn't even a super saiyan 2. He should be able to handle him easily.

The saiyan prince immediately starts gathering his ki, his golden aura intensifying immensely. He glares at Dabura as he shouts at the demon. "This is it! You will die by my hand! I'm not going to Hell alone!" Before the demon even has a chance to process that statement, Vegeta screams out at the top of his lungs, as he releases his ki outwards, making his body implode on itself from the intense release. Dabura's eyes widen when he finally realizes what Vegeta is doing, knowing that not even he could survive a blast of that magnitude at such a close range. As the desert lights up in a fiery explosion that extends for miles upon miles, Vegeta has one fleeting thought.

_I do this for you Bulma, Trunks… and even you Gohan… Kakarot…I'll see you on the other side._

The explosion detonates as soon as the thought is complete. The boom of the blast shakes the earth to its very core, and the air turbulence it causes extends for hundreds of miles. A gigantic mushroom cloud that could be seen from space fills the air as the after effects of the blast take place.

Eventually, the scene settles down and clears, and as predicted, not a trace of Vegeta or King Dabura remains.

* * *

Translations:

ki- energy

chibi- cute child, dwarf


End file.
